Method and apparatus for the detection of distortion or corruption of cellular communication signals

ABSTRACT

A system for troubleshooting signals in a cellular communications network, and in particular, for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of such signals, includes a robotic or other type of switch. The robotic switch can tap into selected uplink fiber-optic lines and selected downlink fiber-optic lines between radio equipment and radio equipment controllers in a wireless (e.g., cellular) network to extract therefrom the I and Q data. The selected I and Q data, in an optical form, is provided to an optical-to-electrical converter forming part of the system. The system includes an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or the like, and an analytic computer unit, or web server, and SSD (Solid State Drive) and magnetic disk storage, among other components of the system. The system analyzes the I and Q data provided to it, and determines the cause, or at least narrows the field of possible causes, of impairment to transmitted signals. The system includes a display which provides the troubleshooting information thereon for a user of the system to review, or other form of a report, and may communicate the analytical findings to a remote location over a public or private interne protocol network.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/279,958, filed on Jan. 18, 2016, entitled “Method and Apparatus forthe Detection of Distortion or Corruption of Communication Signals basedon I/Q Signals”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference and on which priority is hereby claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wireless telecommunications networks,and more specifically relates to systems, equipment, components,software and methods for troubleshooting signals in cellularcommunications networks.

Description of the Prior Art A) Overview of Wireless TelecommunicationsNetworks

FIG. 1 shows an overview of a typical wireless telecommunicationsnetwork 2. To facilitate an understanding of the invention, the steps incarrying on a conversation between New York and California on a wirelesscellular network 2 will now be explained. When the person in New Yorkinputs on his cellular phone 4 the number of the person in Californiaand presses “call” or “send”, a process is started to find the person inCalifornia and send a message to them to make his phone ring. When theperson in California answers the call, a transmission path is set up tosend and receive their conversation across the country.

For the purposes of this invention, the details of how the phoneconversation is set up need not be described. This present invention isconcerned with enabling the accurate recovery of a transmitted messagein the section 6 of the network 2 which is linked by a radio transmitterand radio receiver. This section 6 of the network 2 is called the “RadioAccess Network” which is commonly abbreviated as “RAN”. For purposes ofillustration, we will describe a voice conversation. However, the sameconcepts apply to any other radio transmission (data, video, etc.)

B) The Radio Access Network (RAN) is the Weakest Link in a WirelessTelecommunications Network

Telecommunications is a chain of transmit and receive processes. In thecase of voice conversations, human speech is received by a microphoneand converted to analog signals (modulation of electromagnetic force(changes in voltage with respect to time)). The analog signals areconverted to a digital representation in an analog-to-digital converterand then the digits (1 s and 0 s) are transported over a distance to areceiver where the 1 s and 0 s are converted from digital back to analogand presented to a person via a speaker. If the digital signal (1 s and0 s) is not received exactly as it was transmitted, then there isdistortion in the audio signal, and the person at the receiving end maynot understand the conversation.

Referring again to FIG. 1, each connection between a transmitter and areceiver is commonly referred to as a “hop”. An end-to-end connectionconsists of several hops, each of which must correctly transmit andreceive the data, through multiple Mobile Switching Centers (MSC) 7. Thelimiting factor in the network equipment's ability to accurately recoverthe signal is the signal to interference plus noise ratio (“SINR”) atthe receiver. Every receiving device has an SINR at which it can nolonger correctly recover the signal that was sent by the transmitter.Mathematically, the signal to interference and noise ratio is expressedas:

${SINR} = \frac{{Signal}\mspace{14mu} {level}}{{Interference} + {{Noise}\mspace{14mu} {level}}}$

where the level (amount) of the signal and the level of the noise aremeasured in the same units (usually power, expressed in Watts).

For each hop in the telecommunications network 2, the path between thetransmitter and the receiver is called the “transmission medium” 8. Inthe mobile phone network 2, the transmission mediums are:

-   -   1. Transmission of pressure waves from the lips of a human        talker to the microphone of a mobile phone 4 a short distance        through earth's atmosphere.    -   2. Transmission of radio waves over-the-air from the mobile        phone 4 to the radio receiver in the network 2 over distances up        to approximately 10 kilometers.    -   3. Transmission of pulses of light through strands of glass        (fiber-optic cables) 8 over distances up to approximately 100        kilometers.    -   4. Transmission of electrical force over electrical conductors        over short distances (meters).    -   5. Transmission of pressure waves from the speaker of a mobile        phone to the eardrums of a human listener a short distance        through earth's atmosphere.

The environment in which pressure waves are transmitted by a talker to amicrophone (item 1) and from a speaker to a listener (item 5) can be asignificant source of distortion in the quality of the end-to-endconversation (example: talking or listening in a crowded, noisy room).However, this SINR environment is outside the control of the WirelessService Provider (WSP), so it is not a process the WSP tries toquantify, measure, and manage.

The transmission of electrical signals in the network (item 4) occursover short distances (usually along a circuit path inside a piece ofequipment or short distances between pieces of equipment) and aregenerally near 100% reliable (literally greater than 99.999%reliability).

Transmission of light pulses through fiber-optic cables occurs over longdistances, but the transmission medium 8 is very good. Thecharacteristics of the fiber-optic cables are very well known and arevery stable (i.e. the characteristics have very low variability).Therefore, even though transmission of light pulses over fiber-opticcable 8 covers long distances, it can be engineered to consistentlyprovide greater than 99.999% reliability.

The transmission medium 8 in which almost all the problems occur is theover-the-air radio wave environment. While the characteristics of radiowave transmission in free space (e.g., between the earth and the moon)are very well understood, the transmission of radio waves in the mobilephone network 2 can only be predicted statistically. There are severalreasons for this:

-   -   1. The radio waves transmitted by the mobile phone 4 to the        network receiver are relatively low power.    -   2. Radio wave transmission in the mobile phone environment does        not occur in free space—it occurs in space that is filled with        reflectors and absorbers (buildings, cars, people, etc . . . ).        This causes high variability in the signal level part of the        SINR equation.    -   3. Radio waves must be transmitted on specific frequencies. If a        device outside the control of the wireless service provider is        broken and transmitting radio energy on the same frequency as        the wireless service provider's network receiver, then this        causes high variability in the interference part of the SINR        equation.    -   4. The equipment that is used to transmit and receive radio        waves over-the-air is exposed to harsh weather conditions while        the equipment used for fiber-optic transmission is housed in        environmentally-controlled offices. Therefore, the radio        transmission and reception equipment is more prone to        degradation and failure.

The net result is that the over-the-air radio transmission environmenthas high variability in the signal part (numerator) of the SINR equationand sometimes also has high variability in the interference and noisepart (denominator) of the SINR equation.

-   -   Signal-to-Interference+Noise Ratio (SINR) for transmission of        digital signals over fiber-optic lines:

${{SINR}({fiber})} = \frac{{predictable}\mspace{14mu} {Signal}}{{predictable}\mspace{14mu} {Noise}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{and}\mspace{14mu} {no}\mspace{14mu} {interference}} \right)}$

-   -   Signal-to-Interference+Noise Ratio (SINR) for transmission of        radio signals over-the-air:

${{SINR}({RAN})} = \frac{{unpredictable}\mspace{14mu} {Signal}}{{{unpredictable}\mspace{14mu} {Interference}} + {{Noise}\mspace{14mu} ({sometimes})}}$

The signal to noise ratio of the fiber-optic (and electrical) part ofthe network 2 is highly predictable, and the signal-to-noise ratio ofthe Radio Access Network 6 is highly unpredictable. If the variabilityis low, then telecommunications engineers can accurately design thesystem for high reliability. If there is high variability in the system,it is much more difficult to achieve high reliability. This is why theRAN environment is always the limiting factor in the reliability ofmobile telecommunications networks.

C) Frequency Spectrum is a Scarce and Valuable Resource

In addition to the reliability problems, there are also capacityconstraints in the RAN environment. The capacity for data transfer(measured in bits per second) over a fiber-optic line is vastly greaterthan the data transmission capacity of the RAN environment.

Frequency spectrum is a shared public resource that is regulated andcontrolled by governmental agencies (the Federal CommunicationsCommission in the United States). The FCC auctions licenses to operatein defined frequency ranges to the wireless service providers. Thefrequency spectrum of the RAN environment is a precious resource becausethere is a finite supply. Because there is a limited supply of frequencyspectrum, and because of the growth in demand for wireless services byconsumers, the cost for these licenses has risen dramatically. The mostrecent frequency auction in the United States garnered $45 billiondollars for the right to use 50 MHz (megahertz) of frequency.

D) Summary of Key Points About the RAN:

-   -   1. The signal-to-noise ratio (SINR) at the most disadvantaged        receiver is the limiting factor in any telecommunications        system.

${SINR} = \frac{{signal}\mspace{14mu} {power}\mspace{14mu} {level}}{{interference} + {{noise}\mspace{14mu} {power}\mspace{14mu} {level}}}$

-   -   -   When SINR goes down, reliability, capacity, and data            throughput all go down.            -   When signal power goes down, SINR goes down.            -   When noise or interference goes up, SINR goes down.

    -   2. The most disadvantaged receiver in all wireless telecom        networks 2 is the receiver in the network 2 that must recover        the radio signal transmitted by the mobile phone 4.        -   The transmit power of the mobile phone 4 cannot be increased            because of safety concerns and because of practical            limitations on size and battery power. Mobile phones 4 are            limited by regulation to a maximum transmit power of less            than ½ of a Watt (by contrast, microwave ovens operate at            about 500 Watts).

    -   3. The variability of the signal power level that is received by        the wireless telecommunications network 2 is very high and        cannot be controlled by engineers.        -   The signal that is transmitted by the mobile phone 4 is            subject to conditions (reflection, absorption, and            scattering) in the RAN environment that are well understood,            but can only be predicted using statistical models.        -   The interaction of these effects is called “fading” and can            result in temporary reductions of the signal level by            factors of 10 to 100 (i.e. over a short period of time the            signal level can be as little as 1/100th of the normal            signal level).        -   The technique used to reduce the variability of received            signal level is the use of multiple receive antennas 10            (called “diversity antennas”). This technique works because            the probability is very low that both antennas 10 will            experience fading by the changing RAN environment at the            same time.

    -   4. Under normal operating conditions, the noise power level (in        the denominator of the SINR equation) is predictable and the        interference is non-existent; however, there are often problems        in the RAN environment that cause the interference and noise        power level to be unpredictable. The main source of these        problems is equipment degradation due to exposure to weather        conditions and interference from other transmitters.

    -   5. Engineers can design a system that accounts for the        variability of the received signal power level and provides        reasonably good reliability. However, because of zoning        restrictions and practical economic and construction        limitations, wireless service providers cannot put receivers        everywhere they want. Therefore, wireless telecommunications        networks 2 often operate near the reliable limits of        transmission based on the SINR. If a connection between a mobile        phone transmitter and the network receiver is operating near        that limit and the interference or noise level rises, the radio        link can become unusable; then speech becomes garbled or in the        worst case the call drops.

E) Problem Conditions in the Radio Access Network (RAN)

Two problems which reduce the reliability and capacity of the wirelesstelecommunications network 2 are breakdowns in the balance of thediversity antennas 10, and increases in the noise level at the radioreceiver. The equipment in the network 2 monitors for these conditionsand sends notifications when problems are detected. The generic termsfor these notifications are:

-   -   Diversity antenna imbalance alarm, when the signal strength from        the multiple receive antennas 10 is significantly different for        a sustained amount of time. While fading can cause short term        differences, if the difference is large and stays for a while,        something else is causing the problem. The most common causes        are a failed antenna or connecting cable in one branch. These        can be outright failures, such as a broken cable, but are more        commonly a subtler problem such as Passive Intermodulation        Distortion.    -   High RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). High RSSI is        misleading because it seems like high signal strength would be        good, not bad. The reason that high RSSI is detected as a        possible problem condition is:        -   The mobile network 2 sends power control commands to the            mobile phone 4 to power down the mobile phone's transmitter            to a level that is strong enough to maintain a SINR that            enables good quality reception but not stronger than            necessary. Keeping the transmit power level of the phone 4            as low as possible while still maintaining a good SINR has            two advantages:            -   It preserves the battery life in the mobile phone 4.            -   Often, especially in dense urban environments, there is                more than one network receiver that detects the RF                energy that is transmitted by the mobile phone 4. In                those circumstances, the RF energy from the mobile phone                4 is considered noise by the other receivers.            -   In most cases, the reason that RSSI is too high is                because there is unwanted noise or interference coming                into the receiver. This causes the network 2 to command                the mobile phone 4 to transmit at a higher than normal                level in order to maintain a good SINR.

F) Root Causes of the Problems

There are many potential causes of problems in the RAN 6, but the commonof them are:

-   -   Interference from an external transmitter (one that is not under        the control of the wireless service provider) that is broken and        creating noise in the wireless service provider's frequency        spectrum. This is commonly called “interference”.    -   Interference from Passive Intermodulation Distortion (“PIM”)        that is produced by a bad connector or loose connection in an        antenna. This is called “internal PIM” if the source of the PIM        is in the network equipment up to and including the antenna 10.    -   Interference from Passive Intermodulation Distortion (“PIM”)        that is produced by a semi-conductor that is external to the        network equipment. This is called “external PIM”. The source of        external PIM is usually a rusty surface that mixes the RF energy        transmitted by the radiating elements in the antenna 10 and        reflects it back to the receiving elements in the antenna 10.    -   An unmanaged repeater, also known as a bi-directional amplifier        or BDA that has gain that is too high, causing signals from a        cell phone 4 to appear too high at the base station 12.

The root causes, physical manifestations, and alarms and indications ofthe physical manifestations are summarized in Table 2. The key point ofthe table is that the alarms and notifications are generallyinsufficient by themselves to diagnose and repair the root causes of theproblems.

G) Diagnosing the Root Causes

A typical procedure for diagnosing the root causes requires:

-   -   A spectrum analyzer hooked up to RF monitor port at the base        station.        -   A knowledgeable technician or RF engineer on site while the            problem is occurring. However, problems are often            intermittent (i.e. PIM only when it is windy or intermittent            interference). It is like the gremlin in your car that does            not show itself when you take it to the repair shop—you know            something is wrong but you cannot diagnose it, so you just            start changing parts and hope the problem goes away.

There is a high cost of mis-diagnosis:

-   -   Direct cost: wireless service providers spend thousands        (sometimes 10 s of thousands) of dollars changing antennas        and/or transmission lines only to find that the repair did not        fix the problem. (Evidence=no fault found in the replaced        components, or no improvement in RAN performance.)    -   Indirect cost: money and man-hours that could have been spent        building out the new network.

H) Change in Radio Access Network Architecture in WirelessTelecommunications Networks

The Wireless Telecom Network 2 is currently undergoing a transition inthe architecture of the radio access network (aka RAN 6). Thetraditional RAN architecture (which has been used since the 1980s)employed equipment in which the electronics were housed in a controlledenvironment and the radio signal was sent and received over a coaxialtransmission line 14 to an antenna 10 which transmitted and received theradio signal over the air to mobile phones 4. A typical embodiment ofthis architecture is shown in FIG. 2. Throughout the rest of thisdisclosure, the inventors will refer to the traditional RAN or T-RAN forshort.

The modem approach splits the function of the base station 12 into twopieces of equipment, called the Radio Equipment (“RE”) 16 and the RadioEquipment Controller (“REC”) 18 as shown in FIG. 3. The RE 16 and theREC 18 can be separated by an arbitrary distance. For example, with thistechnology is used at an independent tower location, the RE 16 isusually mounted near the top of the tower and the REC 18 is at thebottom of the tower. There is also a new architecture called C-RAN(Cloud or Centralized RAN), in which several RECs 18 are housed in acentral location and the REs 16 are connected to them over distances upto 15 kilometers.

The Radio Equipment 16 transmits the radio signal to the mobile phones 4and receives signals from those mobile phones 4. The Radio Equipment 16may have multiple transmitters and receivers at the same frequency, fordiversity or so-called MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) functions.The Radio Equipment Controller 18 processes the baseband modulation data(in the mathematical format of “I/Q vectors”, where “I” represents thein-phase signal component and “Q” represents the quadrature phase signalcomponent).

In the C-RAN architecture shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the REC 18 and theRE 16 have a digital data connection that can be extended up to 15kilometers (about 10 miles) over a highly reliable fiber-opticconnection 20, often using an interface called the Common Public RadioInterface (“CPRI”). Hundreds of REs 16 can be connected to the RECequipment 18 that is housed in one location. This is why the C-RANarchitecture is sometimes also referred to as “Base Station Hoteling”.

There are three primary reasons that the Wireless Service Providers areinvesting in the C-RAN architecture:

1. Improvements in spectral efficiency.

2. Reductions in real estate and utility costs.

3. Improvements in quality of service to their customers.

I) The RE/REC Technology Enables Automated, Remotely-ControlledDiagnosis of the Root Causes of Problems in the RAN Environment

The CPRI connection between RE 16 and REC 18 employs fiber-optictransmission lines 20 to transport I/Q data. I/Q data is to radiofrequency modulation what an MP3 is to music—it is the digitalrepresentation of the analog modulation (change in voltage with respectto time).

In the downlink communication channel (from the network 2 to the mobiletelephone 4), the I/Q data has no distortion, because at the point thatit is observed, it has not yet been subjected to the effects of the RANenvironment or any other sources of distortion.

In the uplink communication channel, the I/Q data contains the signalcreated by the phone 4 plus the effects of the RAN environment (pathloss and fading effects) and distortion from noise sources (the problemsthe RANALYZER™ system of the present invention is designed to diagnose).In the uplink direction, the REC 18 processes the I/Q data and attemptsto recover the original signal (in the presence of noise) as transmittedby the phone 4.

The RANALYZER™ system of the present invention processes the I/Q dataand attempts to separate out the noise component (in the presence ofsignal) to determine the root cause (source) of the noise. The methodsfor separating out the noise from the signal and analyzing the noise todiscover its source, in accordance with the present invention, and theRANALYZER™ system 22 of the present invention, will now be disclosed.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and methodfor detecting and determining the cause of impairments to signals in awireless communications network.

In accordance with one form of the present invention, a system(hereinafter, often referred to by the trademark RANALYZER) fortroubleshooting signals in a cellular communications network, and inparticular, for determining the cause of distortion or corruption ofsuch signals, can include a robotic or other type of switch. The roboticswitch can tap into selected uplink fiber-optic lines and selecteddownlink fiber-optic lines between radio equipment and radio equipmentcontrollers in a wireless (e.g., cellular) network to extract therefromthe I and Q data. The selected I and Q data, in an optical form, isprovided to an optical-to-electrical converter forming part of thesystem. The system includes an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) orthe like, and a Computer (often a Web Server) with SSD (Solid StateDrive) and magnetic disk storage, among other components of the system.The system analyzes the I and Q data provided to it, and determines thecause, or at least narrows the field of possible causes, of impairmentto transmitted signals. The system includes a display which provides thetroubleshooting information thereon for a user of the system to review,or other form of a report, and may communicate the analytical findingsto a remote location over a public or private internet protocol network,for example.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the following detailed description ofillustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of atelecommunications data transport network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a traditional radio accessnetwork (“T-RAN”) equipment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating RE/REC technology.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the architecture of a C-RAN communicationssystem.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the system of thepresent invention for troubleshooting signals in a cellularcommunications network in a C-RAN context.

FIG. 5B is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the system of thepresent invention in a Macro Site context.

FIG. 5C is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the system of thepresent invention in a RF or microwave Front-Haul context.

FIG. 5D is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the system of thepresent invention in a non-real-time (or offline) context.

FIG. 5E shows detail of block 17 in FIG. 5C for RF coupling to microwavefronthaul, with RF switching.

FIG. 5F shows detail of block 17 in FIG. 5C for RF coupling to microwavefronthaul, with baseband switching.

FIG. 5G shows detail of block 17 in FIG. 5C for IF coupling to microwavefronthaul, with IF switching.

FIG. 5H shows detail of block 17 in FIG. 5C for IF coupling to microwavefronthaul, with baseband switching.

FIG. 5I shows detail of block 17 in FIG. 5C for baseband coupling tomicrowave fronthaul.

FIG. 5J is a block diagram of the system of the present inventionemploying microwave equipment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the data flow in the system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating data flow in the inner blockdetails of the system of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A-8F are examples of screen displays of the system of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 9A-9D are various views of the robotic switch structure, axes andbackplane forming part of the system of the present invention. Theseinclude:

FIG. 9A is an XZ planar view of the robotic switch without the housing,showing motion axes.

FIG. 9B is an isometric view of the robotic switch without the housing,showing motion axes.

FIG. 9C is an XY planar view of the robotic switch without the housing,showing motion axes.

FIG. 9D is a ZY planar view of the robotic switch without the housing,showing motion axes.

FIGS. 10A-10E are various orthographic views of the robotic switchstructure forming part of the present invention, showing the drivermotors and mechanisms and the gripper components, without the housing.

FIGS. 11A-11D are various isometric views of the robotic switch with thehousing, and with and without the top cover showing slides for serviceaccessibility and the fan and filtration system, forming part of thesystem of the present invention.

FIGS. 12A-12F are various orthographic and isometric views of therobotic switch Z Carriage assembly with LC duplex connector in thegripper showing the rotating cam, gearmotor, worm gear, and two-positionsensor, forming part of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the data buffering and storage hierarchyof the system of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows the Convolutional Neural Network used for signalclassification in the RANALYZER™ system.

FIGS. 15A-15F are portions of a flow chart of the expert analysis usedin the system of the present invention to determine the root cause ofSINR problems.

FIGS. 16A-C are isometric (FIGS. 16A and 16B) and top plan (FIG. 16C)views of the 4-fiber slack management system in the robotic switch ofthe present invention, including the sliding member, constant forcesprings and output roller guides, with the housing of the robotic switchremoved for clarity.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the system of the present invention,illustrating further components thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A) System Overview

FIG. 5, consisting of FIGS. 5A-5D shows a block diagram of theRANALYZER™ system 22 of the present invention in a generic form. Thesystem observes the communication between the Radio Equipment 16 andRadio Equipment Controllers 18 by obtaining a portion of the signal usedfor this communication. This signal is most commonly over a fiber-opticconnection, but other connections are possible such as a wirelessconnection (see FIG. 5C). The observed signals are feed into ahigh-speed logic device, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA),which acts as a digital signal processor 24 which performs variousoperations to extract knowledge about impairments in the Radio AccessNetwork (RAN) 6. These observations may be triggered by alarms from thenetwork 2, made manually by an operator, or by automatically scanningamong the various available connections between RECs 18 and REs 16 byusing an electrical or mechanical (preferably, robotic) switch assembly26.

Communications between REC 18 and RE 16 are observed in eachdirection—from the Radio Equipment Controller 18 to the Radio Equipment16 (also known as the “Downlink”), and from the Radio Equipment 16 tothe Radio Equipment Controller 18 (also known as the “Uplink”).

These four pairs of signals are converted from optical format toelectrical format preferably using an optical-to-electrical converter 28situated before or after the electrical or mechanical switch assembly26, and then fed into a high-speed digital device known as a FieldProgrammable Gate Array, or FPGA, acting as a digital signal processor24, as mentioned above. FPGAs are in many ways similar tomicroprocessors, but can be much faster at performing certainoperations, although they are much more difficult to program and tend tobe somewhat less flexible. The FPGA (digital signal processor) 24performs a number of signal processing functions, to obtain I/Q data,spectrum traces, and various other pieces of information about theobserved signals that are detailed later. An Application-SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), may also be used as the digital signalprocessor 24 to provide similar functionality. In the future, speciallyprogrammed general purpose processors may even be able to keep up withthe needed data rate. Each of these methods do not affect thefundamental functionality of the system 22 of the present invention.

This information is passed to an analytic computer unit 30, such as amicroprocessor, which may include a server 32, for some additionalprocessing, mostly involving the Automatic Analysis and Identificationof Interference and Noise Sources (q.v.), as well as storage of I/Q dataand traces for later additional analysis.

The server 32 then makes these data available to a client via a networkconnection, that is, through a private or public internet protocolnetwork 34. More specifically, a display 36 may be located locally tothe RANALYZER™ system 22 and connected to the analytic computer unit 30,or may be remotely located and provided analytical data through theprivate or public internet protocol network 34. In this way, the clientmay observe the analytical results at a convenient (local or remote)location.

The server 32 also receives control and setup information from theclient, as well as alarms and indicator signals from a High-LevelNetwork Equipment Monitoring System 38 that is closely linked to theRadio Equipment Controllers 18. This monitoring system 38 providesDiversity Imbalance alaims, high RSSI alarms, as well as several otheralarms and indications that are useful to help find the real problem inthe RAN 6, as detailed below. The I and Q digital data, spectrum tracesand other analytical data may be stored in memories within the digitalsignal processor 24 or the analytic computer unit 30, or remotely in apost-processing and mass storage memory 40 coupled to the analyticcomputer unit 30 and server 32 through the internet protocol network 34.The dataflow through the system 22 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Thecontrol information that is passed from the client is exemplified by thescreens in FIG. 8, as described below. It should be noted that that theRANALYZER™ system 22 has many more displays than this, as explained inthe section Signal Displays herein; these are merely examples ofdifferent types of displays in the RANALYZER™ system 22.

-   -   1. FIG. 8A shows a Diversity Imbalance screen to a user.        -   a. A traditional spectrum display 450 is shown, near the            bottom, of two radios, for example the two MIMO branches            from one RE. Additional spectrums could be shown here as            well, for example in the case where an RE has four MIMO            branches.        -   b. Above the spectrum display is a graph of Received Total            Wideband Power (RTWP 452), with multiple traces—one per            spectrum trace shown below. Each point on a trace in the            RTWP graph has one point created at the same time as each            displayed spectrum trace, showing the total power over the            entire received bandwidth of each output from the RE. It            should be noted that the displayed spectrum trace may have a            narrower bandwidth than the I/Q samples from the RE, but the            RTWP graph shows the power in the entire bandwidth—not just            what's shown in the spectrum graph.        -   c. Above the RTWP graph is another graph showing the maximum            difference among the different RTWP traces (ΔRTWP 454). This            trace has one point created each time points are added to            the RTWP trace, showing the maximum difference (maximum            minus minimum) among the related trace points on the RTWP            graph.        -   d. These two graphs (RTWP 452 and ΔRTWP 454) help a user see            what the difference is among various MIMO receivers. In            general, these should be be very similar, unless there is            something wrong with one of the MIMO branches, such as a bad            cable or antenna, or internal Passive Intermodulation            Distortion (PIM) in one of the branches.        -   e. Spectrum and RTWP traces are color-coded 456 to show            which receiver (most commonly MIMO branches from one RE) is            providing I/Q samples to create which trace.        -   f. Various controls are presented to the user, allowing            changes in the display in various ways, including:            -   i. The frequency range 458 displayed on the spectrum                graph, including Start, Center, Span, and Stop                frequencies. These can be selected from the drop-down                Home menu, or directly on the graph.            -   ii. The amplitude range on the spectrum graph, including                the top level and the amplitude range per division. The                top of the spectrum graph is also used for the top of                the RTWP graph.                -   These amplitude parameters can also be selected from                    the drop-down Home menu, or directly on the graph.            -   iii. The Resolution Bandwidth, Video Bandwidth, and                Sweep Time 462 used for creating the spectrum trace, as                in a traditional spectrum analyzer.            -   iv. Controls for viewing live of captured spectrum data,                as well as controlling the capture and playback 464.            -   v. Since a large number of spectrum traces, or related                I/Q samples can be captured into memories 116, 118, 120,                122, 124, 126, and 130, a set of controls 466 is                provided to help choose which spectrums are being shown                at a given time.            -   vi. A large number of parameters can be adjusted, files                saved, and reports generated via the pull-down menus                468.            -   vii. The display update rate can be adjusted with the                View controls 470, as well as if playback stops after a                set of recalled spectrums (or I/Q samples displayed as                spectrums) is shown, if that set of spectrum                continuously loops, or one spectrum is shown at a time,                (advancing when the user clicks on the Play button), and                either pausing or playing that set of spectrums on the                graphs.            -   viii. The displayed graphs and the underlying traces and                I/Q samples can be saved with Save controls 472    -   2. FIG. 8B is a duplicate of the Controls menu from FIG. 8A    -   3. FIG. 8C shows a set of controls for picking which sets of        stored spectrum traces, or I/Q samples made into spectrum        traces, from the Events System (q.v.) database. From this menu,        the user can:        -   a. Use Filters 474 to select, in various ways, the items in            the Events System database to display, including what type            of Event, and the impact on the service provided by an RE.        -   b. Use the Sort By control 476 to change the arrangement of            the displayed events.        -   c. View key aspects of the events in area 478, including:            -   i. When they happened (column labelled “Time”).            -   ii. The service impact (column labelled “!”).            -   iii. The count of how many times similar types of event                have happened (column labelled Ct.).            -   iv. A description of what the event is (column labelled                “Desc.)    -   4. FIG. 8D is of the Traces Menu and allows        -   a. Adjusting the Spectrum Trace Processing 424 mode in the            digital signal processor 24 for each radio displayed,            including Radio 1 478 and Radio 2 480 in this case. More            than two radios can have the trace mode controlled with this            menu, if more than two radios are configured for display.        -   b. Enabling or disabling cross-hair markers 482 shown on the            spectrum graph 450, RTWP graph 452 and ΔRTWP graph 454.        -   c. Showing or hiding a KTBNF line 484 on the spectrum graph            at the noise level of the receiver for the current RBW            setting for the spectrum graph. “KTBNF” refers to how this            line is calculated, from a factor K called Boltzman's            constant, the temperature T (usually assumed to be 290            Kelvin, as even fairly large changes in temperature have            minimal effect on this line), the Bandwidth B (similar to            the Resolution Bandwidth, but slightly different for this            purpose), and the Noise Figure of the receiver NF. The user            can also adjust the NF value, if this is not pre-configured            as part of the RE data received from the Equipment            Monitoring System 38.    -   5. FIG. 8E shows a Marker Menu and related table 486 of Marker        values. Controls include:        -   a. Where the Marker is placed in area 488.        -   b. What type of Marker will be used, in area 490.        -   c. Positioning of the current active marker to the Maximum            Peak, Minimum Peak, Next Peak to the Right Next Peak to the            Left, Next Higher Peak or Next Lower peak with control 492.    -   6. FIG. 8F shows a Limits menu, where the user can define a        reference spectrum trace that if the measured spectrum trace        exceeds, will cause the Events System (q.v.) to record the        displayed spectrum into the Events System database. In this        menu, the user may:        -   a. Define which trace processing is to be used to on the            measured spectrum for the comparison. This trace processing            may be the same as used to display the spectrum, or it may            be different.        -   b. Add, Delete, or select points, as well as turn the limit            processing off and save the defined limits to memories 120,            122, 124, 126 or 130, by using control 496.

B) RANALYZER™ System in a C-RAN Context

FIG. 5A shows a block diagram overview of the RANALYZER™ system 22 asused in a C-RAN. The system 22 observes the communication between theRadio Equipment Controllers 18 in the C-RAN hub and the variousgeographically-dispersed Radio Equipment 16 by means of fiber opticcouplers (aka “taps”) 42. The observed signals are sent via links 19 toa fiber-optic switch 26 which selects certain (preferably up to four(4)) pairs of signals from many fibers. One such switch 26 is a robotic“patch panel”, with preferably up to 192 input pairs. More than 192pairs can be switched if the robotic switches 26 are daisy-chained. AGPS receiver 33 is also provided in the system 22, in order tocoordinate measurements among multiple systems, by capturing complex Iand Q samples at the same time in each unit, both by knowing the time ofday to make the capture, and capturing at a precise time, triggered by aone pulse-per-second output from the receiver, which is closely tied toUTC time. This is especially important in the case of the Macro SiteContext below.

C) RANALYZER™ System With RF or Microwave Fronthaul For C-RAN.

While the most common connection between the REC 18 and RE 16(“fronthaul”) is via fiber optics, sometimes an RF or microwaveconnection is used, such as illustrated in FIG. 5C, with detailedconnections shown in FIGS. 5E-I. The form of this interconnection doesnot affect the functionality of the RANALYZER™ system 22; merely adifferent connection to obtain the I/Q data carried on the REC-to-REconnection is used. This connection may take one or several of a numberof different forms, depending on the implementation of the C-RAN:

-   -   1. Fiber from radio receiver to REC 18. In this case, the RF or        microwave radio receiver is separate from the REC 18, and a        fiber-optic connection is used between them. Since a fiber        connection is available, the connection to the RANALYZER™ system        22 is identical to that of case B described above.    -   2. RF sniffer port. As shown in FIG. 5E, the signals between the        RE and REC are transmitted through the air by means of antennas        52. The uplink and downlink RF signals are available in a        coaxial or waveguide lines 44, and directional couplers or        splitters 46 are used to gain a sample of the RF signal. This        signal is distributed to eight parallel RF switches 48, which        choose which fronthaul link signal is to be measured, four each        in both uplink & downlink directions. A radio receiver 50 is        then used to convert this signal to digitized baseband I and Q        samples for use in the RANALYZER™ system 22 via links 19. If the        receiver 50 is sufficiently low cost, the selection of fronthaul        link signal can be done on the baseband I/Q signal, as shown in        FIG. 5F.        -   Block 58 and 60 are not germane to this method of            attachment, and will be discussed below.        -   Other blocks 52 shown in FIG. 5E and 5F are part of the            backhaul system which the RANALYZER™ system 22 is connected            to, and are obvious to those skilled in the art of microwave            links, and will not be further described here.    -   3. IF sniffer port. FIGS. 5G and 5H show this case, where the        signal received from the RE is immediately down-converted to a        lower frequency at the receive antenna, by a so-called        “low-noise block converter” or LNB 56. This is done to reduce        the losses between the antenna and radio receiver, as loss in        cable is higher at microwave frequencies. As for FIGS. 5E and        5F, the difference between FIG. 5G and 5H is how the switching        is accomplished—either of the IF signal (before the Receiver        50), or of the baseband (I and Q) signal after the Receiver 50.        -   The downlink signal transmitted by the REC is also coupled            at IF, before the upconverter 58. The rest of the            connections are identical to the RF sniffer port cases,            except that the input frequency of the radio receiver 50            used to convert to baseband is lower.        -   As for the RF sniffer port, there are four switches used for            each link direction, in order to provide the four            downlink/uplink pairs to the RANALYZER™ system 22.        -   Other blocks 52 shown in FIG. 5F and 5G are part of the            backhaul system which the RANALYZER™ system 22 is connected            to, and are obvious to those skilled in the art of microwave            links, and will not be further described here.    -   4. Baseband sniffer port. FIG. 5I shows the RANALYZER™ system 22        connected to an electrical or optical baseband signal. This is        for cases where the RF or microwave receiver, which might be        located inside the REC 18 or separate from it, has an output of        analog or digital baseband I and Q signals. After digitization        of analog signals, these can be feed to the RANALYZERTM system        22 for extraction of the I and Q vectors for further use, in a        similar manner as for the RF and IF sniffer port cases above.        Note that a digital baseband I or Q signal is very similar to        the I and Q samples used in the RANALYZER™ system 22, but the        sample rate or other digital parameters may be somewhat        different. The Digital Signal Processor 24 is reconfigured to        adapt to these minor changes as necessary.    -   5. Sniffer antenna. If no sniffer ports are available (or can be        made available), another alternative is possible—using a        separate receive antenna 52 just for connection to the        RANALYZER™ system 32. This is shown in FIG. 5J. The noinial RE        to REC connection is comprised of RE 16, microwave equipment 62,        microwave antennas 10, and REC 18.        -   To capture the transmission data, additional antennas 10 are            placed near the antenna 10 directly connected to the REC.            These antennas are pointed in the proper directions to gain            a sample of the signal from the RE to REC, and REC to RE. It            should be noted that at a site using microwave fronthaul,            the REs may be in many different directions, requiring many            different antennas. Depending on the particular situation,            it may be possible to share one sniffer antenna among            multiple REs at different frequencies; this just means that            the Receiver 50 has to be tunable by the system 22 to those            different frequencies.        -   The signals from these additional antennas is amplified and            downconverted to an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal by            LNBs 56. The output from the LNBs 56, including from other            sniffer antennas 10, are then distributed to 8 different            switches, four for the uplink direction, and four for the            downlink direction. The output of the switches go to 8            different RF receivers 50.        -   This sniffer antennas 10 could take several forms, such as a            steerable antenna or an array of antennas; each form of            antenna is equivalent in operation here. It should be noted            that this technique is not constrained to when sniffer ports            are unavailable, but since sniffer ports are less expensive            than antennas, this would be the most likely case for using            a separate receive antenna.        -   At the output of the sniffer antenna is an RF signal, and            processing of this signal then proceeds as in the case of            the RF sniffer port case above (or IF sniffer port case, if            the antenna incorporates an LNB).

D) RANALYZER™ System in a Macro Site Context

FIG. 5B shows the RANALYZER™ system 22 in the context of a traditionalbase station, often called a Macro cell or Macro site. In this case,there are a much smaller number of fibers to observe, so a smallernumber of input switch ports on the switch assembly 26 are needed.Additionally, some of the data used for diagnoses may come from othercell sites, rather than other REs connected to RECs in a C-RAN. Becauseof this, it's especially important for macro site systems to communicatewith other RANALYZER systems 22 via the Private Internet ProtocolNetwork 34, so that this data can be used for diagnoses, as well ascoordinating the capture of complex I and Q sample data at the sametime.

A key aspect of macro site systems is that since there are fewer radioheads to observe, the system cost must be much lower, to maintain areasonable cost per observed radio. Therefore, many cost optimizationsare needed, including:

-   -   1. Using a System-on-Chip (SOC) that combines computer and FPGA        functionality.    -   2. Using an electrical switch 26 and a bank of        optical-to-electrical converters 28. System 22 preferably has 24        fiber inputs (preferably 12 pairs of downlink and uplink        connections, but could be used in other ways).    -   3. Using direct fiber inputs, instead of SFP connectors. Also,        using a single multi-fiber connector.    -   4. Provision is also made to send EQ vectors to a central        computer 58 for further processing, if the local CPU 30 is        insufficient for some types of analysis. A moderate amount of        local storage is provided, in order to be able to wait for times        that connection bandwidth is available for this, since this        bandwidth is usually shared with network functions (connecting        cell phone calls, video, and data transfers), which take higher        priority.    -   5. Since fibers from multiple sites may not be available,        provision for a GPS receiver 33, or other time reference, is        made so that multiple units may make simultaneous        measurements—similar to having multiple fibers from different        sites in the C-RAN system.

E) RANALYZER™ System in an Offline Context

FIG. 5D shows the RANALYZER™ system 22 in the context of offlineanalysis. In this case, I/Q samples or spectrum traces recorded by aRANALYZER™ system 22 are recorded into memories either locally (memories118, 120, 122 or 124) or via a network connection (memories 126 or 130).These data can then be analyzed in more detail by a subject matterexpert (SME) on a RANALYZER™ system 22 that need not be directlyconnected to any REs or RECs. The construction of FIG. 5D can be seen tobe identical to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, with these physical connectionsremoved. Since captured I/Q samples (along with metadata such as whenthe samples were captured, the link direction—uplink or downlink—and theREs or RECs it was gathered from, as well as other information stored inthe Event System (q.v.) database) contain all the information that theRANALYZER™ needs for diagnosing RAN problems, these data can be movedvia a network connection, or even physical transport of storage media,to any other RANALYZER™ system for detailed analysis.

F) Using a Switch to Solve the Connectivity Problem

Since the cost of hardware to observe the RAN 6 is significant, it isoptimal to have fewer measurement points than there are points toobserve. A switch 26 of some kind, listed below, can be used to connectthe RANALYZER™ observation hardware to many different RAN branches.

a. Using an Optical Switch to Solve Connectivity Problem

One method of switching observed RAN branches into the RANALYZER™ system22 is to use an optical switch 26. Optical switches 26 to date areoptimized for network, rather than measurement, use, and are too costlyto be practical. However, a lower-cost optical switch 26 would also bepossible for use in observing the RAN 6, such as described herein.

b. Using an Electronic Switch to Solve the Connectivity Problem

Since the C-RAN can have hundreds, if not thousands, of fiber or RFconnections, there is a problem selecting the correct connection tomonitor, especially from a remote location, and at low cost. While theRF connection solutions are listed above, one solution for the fibercase is to convert the fiber-optic signal to electrical signals using anoptical-to-electrical converter 28, then use an electronic switch 26 toselect which signal(s) to present to the RANALYZER™ system 22. Unliketypical “crossbar” switches, however, there is no need to have manyoutputs. Only a few outputs are necessary to drive the RANALYZER™ system22, allowing the switch 26 to be lower in cost than would otherwise bethe case. See the section on M×N switching for more details about this.

c. Using a Robotic Switch to Solve the C-RAN Connectivity Problem

The connectivity problem has been solved for decades in a localenvironment by the use of a “patch panel”, where a person plugs a cableinto a socket, similar to the old plug boards used by telephoneoperators. However, the large number of connections (which make it easyfor a person to select the wrong connection) and the desire to controlthis remotely cause problems for traditional patch panels. Anotheralternative is to use mirror-based optical switches, but these quicklybecome cost-prohibitive for a large number of connections.

A solution to this problem is to use a mechanical robot in conjunctionwith the traditional patch panel. The robot can be remotely instructedto move a cable connected to the monitoring system to attach to thedesired test point.

i. Overview of the Robotic Optical Switch Assembly

Drawings of the robotic optical switch assembly 26 can be found in FIGS.9-12 and 16. The robotic optical switch assembly 26 has four test outputcables 62 which are connected to the input of the digital signalprocessor 24 or the optical-to-electrical converter 28 (if such isrequired) of the RANALYZER™ system 22. On the inside of the roboticswitch assembly 26, the output test cables 62 are called “testconnection cables” and the fiber optic connector 64 at the end of theconnection cable 62 is called a “test connection plug”. Multiple roboticswitch assemblies 26 can be daisy-chained together by connecting thetest output cables 62 of one system 22 to four of the external monitorports (inputs) 66 on another system.

The monitor port inputs 66 to the robotic switch assembly 26 is an arrayof modified LC-type bulkhead connectors 68. The connectors 68 on theoutside of the system are called “exterior monitor jacks”. The matedconnectors 70 on the inside of the system are called “interior monitorjacks”. A backplane structure 72 in the form of a panel supports anarray of connectors 68, 70 which preferably consists of 16 columns×13rows of connector pairs in a rectangular grid. Preferably, there are atotal of 208 locations (16×13). These 208 ports are allocated asfollows: 192 input ports are for uplink/downlink monitor pairs, fourports are for parking the test cables 62 when not in use, four ports areused for daisy-chaining multiple robotic switch assemblies 26 whenrequired to have greater than 4×192 connections and the remaining 8ports are used for internal cleaning and diagnostic functions. Thesediagnostic functions can include a test signal generated in theRANALYZER™ system 22 (used for bit-error-ratio testing of the testconnection fiber cables 62), a fiber inspection scope (used forverifying the cleanliness of the fiber connection in the test connectionplug 64) and a cleaning station (for removing dirt and othercontaminants of the fiber connection on the test connection plug 64).Note that having 192 pairs is an optimal number due to oneimplementation of C-RAN, where an interface to provide CoordinatedMultipoint operation (CoMP) is limited preferably to 192 connections.

The test connection plugs 64 are moved by a single arm and grippermechanism 74 which disconnects the test connection plug 64 from itsprotected parking spot in the array of connector jacks 70 and moves itto any of the interior monitor jacks 70.

ii. Improving Robot Alignment Accuracy Tolerance Requirements, andImproving Alignment Accuracy in the Robotic Switch Assembly

The connectors 68, 70 are mounted in an array to a rigid back panel 72with structural supports 76 to increase the stiffness of the panel 72 ofconnectors 68, 70 and prevent movement while inserting and retractingthe fiber-optic plugs 64. The interior monitor jacks 70 have chamferedlead-in areas to increase the acceptable tolerances for insertion of thetest connection plugs 64 into the interior monitor jacks 70 by thegripping mechanism 74. The combination of the structure members 76 toimprove the stiffness of the array of monitor jacks 70, along with thechamfering of the monitor jacks 70, increases the required alignmenttolerance of the insertion of the plug 64 such that it can beaccomplished by the system using a stepper motor 78 and belt drivesystem 80 in the X axis, a stepper 250 with leadscrew 252 drive in the Yaxis, and stepper 254 with leadscrew 256 drive in the Z axis, allwithout employing alignment feedback systems.

iii. Avoiding Robot Tangling of the Cables and Complying With MinimumBend Radius Requirements

The test connection cable 62 is routed around several pulleys 82, 84with one on a sliding member 86 to allow for slack take-up as the plug64 is inserted into various ports 70 that have a different physicaldistance from the cable outlet. The sliding member 86 is preloaded witha constant force spring 88 to keep a known and constant level of tensionon the test connection cable 62 regardless of its position in the panel72. The connection cable 62 has a highly flexible outer jacket andconstruction to allow for high durability and flexibility while beingrouted around the pulleys 82, 84. The combination of the flexible cable62 plus the constant force from the pulley 82, 84 enables the system topredict the location of the fibers 62 with sufficient accuracy to avoidcollisions and tangles.

The arm and gripper mechanism 74 that moves the connectors 64 is located(in its home position) at the bottom of the backplane panel 72 array ofconnectors 68, 70, and the pulleys 82, 84 from which the test connectioncables 62 are tensioned are located above the top row of the backplanepanel 72 supporting the array of connectors 68, 70. If more than oneplug 64 needs to be inserted into the same column of jacks 70, then theplugs 64 and connection cables 62 are inserted into the jacks 70 in theorder of top to bottom.

To access a given test connection plug 64, the gripper arm 74 positionsitself directly in front of the plug 64 to be moved (in-line in the Zaxis). When the gripper ann 74 moves in the Z direction to grab the plug64, it makes several vertical steps (upward deflections in the Ydirection) to avoid collisions with the connector housings and testconnection cable 62 of adjacent plugs 64. A cable guide 90 in the shapeof a rounded wedge also aids in the vertical motion to prevent tangledcables 62 (see FIGS. 12d and 12f ).

The robotic switch assembly and system 26 keeps track of the currentlocations of the test cables 62 and plugs 64. When the system 26receives a request from the analytic computer unit 30 of the RANALYZER™system 22 by way of a control signal to make a fiber connection to oneof the monitor jacks 70, it sends a reply signal to the analyticcomputer unit 30 acknowledging the request, but the robotic switchassembly 26 decides how to connect the plugs 64 so as not to tangle thecables 62.

Parking positions for the test plugs 64 are used for tangle avoidance.If a request for connection is made by a control signal sent by theanalytic computer unit 30 to the robotic switch assembly 26 that wouldcause a tangle to occur, then the robotic switch assembly and system 26temporarily parks the test plugs 64 which are in the way of the otherplugs 64 until all requested connections to the test jacks 70 can bemade without tangling the test connection cables 62.

After the connections have been made, the electronic circuitry 91 of therobotic switch assembly 26 sends a signal back to the analytic computerunit 30 of the RANALYZERTM system 22 which output cable 62 is connectedto which monitor jack 70. The analytic computer unit 30 of theRANALYZER™ system 22 works in conjunction with the robotic switchassembly and system 26 to allow for interrupts in data collection butmaintain logical consistency of the data analysis and data collection.

iv. Design of the Robot Gripper to Work with Standard LC TypeConnectors.

The gripper mechanism 74 that connects and disconnects the plugs 64 fromthe jacks 70 has a cradle 92 that fits the bottom of plugs 64 andprevents movement in the X and Z directions. Pressure to depress a clip94 that holds the plug 64 in the jack 70 is provided by a cam 96 thatrotates in the X-Z plane by gearmotor 258 and worm drive 260. As the cam96 rotates, it depresses the clip 94 to release the plug 64 from thejack 70. After the cam 96 has rotated, it also creates the grip pressureon the plug 64 to hold it in the cradle 92. A two-position sensor 98confirms clip release and cam retraction.

v. Maintaining a Clean Fiber-Optic Environment in the Robotic SwitchAssembly

The exterior monitor jacks 68 on the reverse side of the panel 72 thatsupports the array of connectors 68, 70 are routed to a series ofpreferably four (4) port MTP bulkhead connectors 100 that allow a sealedconnection to the outside of the robotic switch assembly 26.

A dual fan and filter system 102 is used to create a higher pressureinside the robotic switch assembly 26 than in the room in which it islocated. This helps keep dust particles out of the assembly 26. Theslight positive pressure is achieved by having an input fan 104 andfilters 106 combined with exhaust filters 108 only.

vi. Methods and Apparatus For Serviceability of the Robotic SwitchAssembly

The robotic switch assembly 26 is designed to be rack mounted in atelecommunications rack. As shown in FIGS. 11A-11D of the drawings, theexterior housing 108 of the robotic switch assembly 26 includes slides110 mounted on opposite lateral sides thereof, which mate with slidesincorporated into the rack mount system (not shown). Also, a method ofattaching a service-loop of fiber to the back of the housing (where themonitor fibers connect to the backplane of exterior monitor jacks) isprovided. The combination of the slides 110 and the service loop enablesthe assembly 26 to be serviced without disconnecting the monitor fibers.

For machine service, which is expected to be every 1000 relocations,there is a procedure to replace the probe fiber cartridge 112 and fanfilters 106, 108. First, the robotic switch assembly 26 receives acontrol signal from the analytic computer unit 30 and is commanded toreplace all test connection cables 62 to their home positions and thearm and gripper mechanism 74 to return to its home position. Then, thepower to the assembly 26 is removed and the robotic switch assembly 26is slid into its forward slide position. The top cover of the housing108 is removed by removal of the mounting screws. The filters 106, 108on the front and rear sides of the assembly housing 108 can now bereplaced. After replacement of the filters 106, 108, both ends of theprobe fibers 62 are removed from their respective plugs 64, carefullyletting the fibers 62 fully retract, and then each port 70 is coveredwith a dust cap (not shown). Then the two screws on each side of theprobe fiber slack panel 112 are removed and the panel 112 may be slidout of the housing 108 out of the robot. Replace with new panel andreverse the procedure, cleaning the ports and fibers before insertions.The service technician should then use a small vacuum to clean thecorners of the robotic switch assembly 26 within the housing 108, give avisual check for cleanliness and then reattach the top cover to the restof the housing 108. The robotic switch assembly 26 can then be returnedto the rearward slide position in the rack (not shown) on which it ismounted and power may be reapplied to the assembly 26. The arm andgripper mechanism 74 and test connection cables 62 may then be rehomed,if necessary, by control signals provided by the analytic computer unit30 and received by the electronic circuitry 91 of the assembly 26, andthe robotic switch assembly is now ready for use.

Cameras 264 may be located on the inside of the housing 108 of therobotic switch assembly 26 to provide an inspection capability.Additionally, fiber inspection probes (not shown) and fiber cleaningmechanisms (not shown) may be included in the assembly 26.

vii. Miscellaneous Features of the Robotic Switch Assembly

Backup power by way of a capacitor array (not shown) within the housing108 is provided to complete a move and then position the gripper arm 74to a safe position (preferably, its home position) if external power islost.

Seismic sensors (not shown) may be included within the housing 108 andelectrically connected to the electronic circuitry 91 so that therobotic switch assembly 26 does not attempt to make a connection betweena test probe 64 and test jack 70 if the assembly 26 is shaking too much.The gripper arm 74 moves to a safe location (preferably, its homeposition) if vibration thresholds programmed into the electroniccircuitry 91 are exceeded.

One or more temperature sensors (not shown) may be included within thehousing 108 of the robotic switch assembly 26 and electrically connectedto the electronic circuitry 91 to sense temperature extremes when therobotic switch assembly 26 is located in certain installations andpossibly activate an internal heater (not shown) situated within thehousing 108.

Since the distance from where the four test connections cables 62 exitthe probe fiber cartridge 110 to various ports in the panel 72 variessignificantly the slack in each of the test connection cables needs tobe independently controlled to prevent tangling with each other. This isaccomplished through a system of fixed pulleys 82, 84 and slidingpulleys 86 loaded by a constant force spring 88. The pulley system foreach test connection cable 62 are stacked on top of each other at thetop of the unit as shown in FIGS. 16D. Each pair of test connectioncables 62 exits the probe fiber cartridge 110 through a multi-rolleroutput assembly, 270. For each test connection cable 62 there is aseries of four rollers 272 that both guide the test connection cable 62in the proper direction and reduces the amount of internal friction inthe probe fiber cartridge 110. It is important to minimize the internalcartridge friction to allow the use of the minimum strength constantforce spring 88 which minimizes the tension in the test connectioncable. This minimizes signal loss and cable jacket fatigue. The rollers82, 84, 86 and other slack system geometry are designed to prevent thetest connection cables 62 from being subject to a bend radius smallerthan the minimum allowable radius to prevent signal attenuation andcable jacket fatigue.

viii. Operation of Robotic Switch

Power On/Homing

Upon application of power, a homing command needs to be issued to therobotic switch to zero all of the motion axes and initialize therotating cam.

-   Gripper    -   The two position (open/closed) rotating cam sensor is looked at.    -   If it is not in the open position the gearmotor/worm reduction        is operated CCW until the sensor open position is triggered.    -   If the sensor is initially in the open position the system moves        to the next step.    -   There is a 5 second timeout where if the switch open is not seen        then an error is thrown and the homing process stopped.-   Z axis    -   If the Z1 switch is closed the Z motor moves in a +Z direction        for 2000 steps, stops, then moves in the −Z direction until the        switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the home/trip        point.    -   If the Z1 switch is open the Z motor moves in the −Z direction        until the switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the        home/trip point.    -   If the Z1 switch is not found after 20000 steps, then the Z        motor is operated in the +Z direction for 25000 steps and the        1.b.ii procedure is repeated.    -   If the Z1 switch is not found a second time, then an error is        thrown and the homing process stopped.-   Y Axis    -   If the Y₀ switch is closed the Y motor moves in a +Y direction        for 2000 steps, stops, then moves in the —Y direction until the        switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the home/trip        point.    -   If the Y₀ switch is open the Y motor moves in the —Y direction        until the switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the        home/trip point.    -   If the −Y motion is greater than 55000 steps, then an error is        thrown and the homing process stopped.-   X Axis    -   If the X0 switch is closed the X motor moves in a +X direction        for 500 steps, stops, then moves in the −X direction until the        switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the home/trip        point.    -   If the X0 switch is open the X motor moves in the −X direction        until the switch is actuated to get an accurate location of the        home/trip point.    -   If the —X motion is greater than 45000 steps, then an error is        thrown and the homing process stopped.-   The robot now moves to X,Y position of port 1 leaving Z in the home    position and is now ready for operation.

The robot operates by removing any/all of 4 specialized LC Duplex fiberoptic connectors from home ‘parking spaces’ in the top center top of thepanel array to any of 192 locations commanded by the RANALYZER server.There are 12 additional ports that can be used for diagnostic oradvanced functionality. The process has four distinct steps:

-   -   Removing a LC duplex connector from the panel    -   Inserting a LC duplex connector into the panel    -   Moving to a new port X,Y location for insertion of a LC duplex        connector    -   Moving to a new port X,Y location for removal of a LC duplex        connector

These four steps can be repeated and ordered utilizing a mappingalgorithm to avoid cable tangling in order achieve any desired 4×192port configuration. We will look them in reverse order.

-   Moving to a new port X,Y location for removal of a LC duplex    connector. This maneuver assumes the idle configuration of the    robot: any X,Y position, Z1 switch triggered, no connector currently    in the gripper and that the gripper sensor is in the open position.    The procedure is as follows:    -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction for 20000 steps.    -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction until the Y0 switch is        triggered then stop and move the Y motor in the +Y direction for        1000 steps.    -   Move the X motor in the appropriate direction to the X        coordinate of the desired panel port    -   Move the Y motor in the +Y direction to the Y coordinate minus        two adjustment factors, Y_DN_OFF and Y_STRAIN_OFF, of the        desired panel port-   Moving to a new port X,Y location for insertion of a LC duplex    connector.    -   This maneuver assumes the following robot configuration: any X,Y        position, Z1 switch is triggered, a LC Duplex connector in the        carriage pocket and the gripper sensor is in the closed        position. The procedure is as follows:        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction for 20000 steps.        -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction until the Y0 switch is            triggered then stop and move the Y motor in the +Y direction            for 1000 steps.        -   Move the X motor in the appropriate direction to the X            coordinate of the desired panel port        -   Move the Y motor in the +Y direction to the Y coordinate            minus one adjustment factor, Y_STRAIN_OFF, of the desired            panel port-   Removing a LC duplex connector from the panel.    -   This maneuver assumes the following robot configuration: the        robot has just completed ‘Moving to a new port X,Y location for        removal of a LC duplex connector’. The procedure is as follows:        -   Move the Z motor in the +Z direction until the Z_1_5            position.        -   Move the Y motor in the +Y direction by Y_STRAIN_OFF        -   Move the Z motor in the +Z direction until the Z_1_75            position        -   Move the Y motor in the +Y direction by Y_DN_OFF to end in            the Y nominal position of desired port        -   Move the Z motor in the +Z direction until the Z_2 position        -   The gearmotor/worm reduction is operated CW until the sensor            closed position is triggered.        -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction by Y_DN_RLS        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction until the Z_1_5            position        -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction by Y_STRAIN_OFF        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction until the Z1 switch is            closed-   Inserting a LC duplex connector into the panel.    -   This maneuver assumes the following robot configuration: the        robot has just completed ‘Moving to a new port X,Y location for        insertion of a LC duplex connector’. The procedure is as        follows:        -   Move the Z motor in the +Z direction until the Z_4+Z_5            position.        -   Move the Y motor in the +Y direction by Y_STRAIN_OFF        -   Move the Z motor in the +Z direction until the Z_4+Z_4_FUDGE            position The geannotor/woim reduction is operated CCW until            the sensor open position is triggered.        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction until the Z_1_75            position        -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction by Y_DN_OFF        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction until the Z_1_5            position        -   Move the Y motor in the −Y direction by Y_STRAIN_OFF        -   Move the Z motor in the −Z direction until the Z1 switch is            closed-   Terms used for describing robot operation:-   X0=position of X home switch-   Y0=position of Y home switch-   Z1=position of Z home switch-   Y_DN_OFF, Y_STRAIN_OFF, Y_DN_RLS=variables in the Y motion locations    in order to assist in avoidance of cable tangles-   Z_1_5, Z_1_75, Z_2, Z_4=variables in the Z motion locations in order    to assist in avoidance of cable tangles-   Z_4_FUDGE=variable of Z insertion depth to compensate for flexure in    support structures

d. N×M Switching Capability

In a preferred form of the robotic switch assembly 26, the output testcables 62 can be connected to any of the interior monitor jacks 70. Thisprovides N×M (input×output) switching (where N and M are integers): theI and Q signals of any M of the N single or dual (uplink and downlink)monitor jacks 70 can be routed to the digital signal processor 24 or theoptical-to-electrical converter 28, if such converter 28 is used, of theRANALYZER™ system 22 for simultaneous analysis.

For the electronic version of the switch, mentioned in subsection b ofthis section above, configuring it for N×M operation also allowsmonitoring the needed RAN signals.

Depending on the number of test outputs and the configuration ofREC-to-RE connections made by the robotic switch assembly 26, as shownin FIGS. 9A-9D, it is possible to conduct various tests and diagnoseswith the RANALYZER™ system 22 of the present invention.

It should be realized that, although an optical-mechanical roboticswitch assembly 26 is described herein, an electronic switch assemblymay be used in its place. This is especially realizable when theoptical-to-electrical converter 28 is placed upstream (signal-wise)before the switch assembly 26, or where the I and Q data is provided bythe network 2 already in an electrical format and, thus, nooptical-to-electrical converter 28 is required and an electronic switchdevice or circuit may be used to select the electrical I and Q data andprovide this data to the digital signal processor.

G) Choosing Which Ports to Measure

Given that it is preferred that only M test ports 70 are measured at anyone time (out of the larger number N), some method must be used tochoose which ports 70 to measure. There are several methods used by theRANALYZER™ system of the present invention to do this, based ondifferent circumstances and needed capabilities. Table 1 lists thediagnostic capabilities based on the number of connections to REs andRECs, which shows why the RANALYZER™ system 22 is designed to connect to4 pairs of uplink & downlink connections between REs and RECs. Detailsabout choosing ports to measure for different scenarios are explainedbelow.

1. On Receipt of an Alarm From the Network Equipment Monitoring System38

-   -   The port 70 related to the radio equipment 16 having a problem        is the one to be measured. Additional ports 70 can be added to        supplement this, as listed below.

2. Downlink and Uplink

-   -   RAN problems are much more of an issue in the uplink, as a        problem here can take out an entire sector (or perhaps even        more), while downlink problems tend to be only for specific        areas. The RANALYZER™ system cannot observe the RF environment        for downlink signals, so why measure the downlink at all? This        is because the downlink has useful information for measuring the        uplink. This information includes:        -   a. Control signals for allocating uplink transmissions. This            also says when at what frequencies uplink transmissions are            not allocated, which provides a convenient window for            observing external interference as well as PIM products            without the effect of uplink transmissions. By observing            over a small window of time (e.g. several LTE frames), a            spectrum almost clear of uplink transmissions can be            assembled. This provides a much clearer picture of what is            happening in the uplink spectrum that should not be there.

TABLE 1 Diagnostic Capabilities versus number of available connections.Number of Impairment to be Diagnosed Connections Internal PIM ExternalPIM External Interference False Alarm 1 (Uplink Only) RF only, singlefrequency, Limited, no location Yes moderate confidence 1 Pair RF only,single frequency, No location, faster and easier Yes (Uplink andDownlink) high confidence to see than above 2 Pair Yes (most cases)Usually, reasonable location estimate Yes 3 Pair Yes (almost all cases)Yes, good location estimate Yes 4 Pair Yes (adds unusual cases) Yes,better location estimate Yes

b. NACK/ACK Ratio

-   -   NACK is short for “Not Acknowledged”, i.e., a transmission that        was not received properly, so it is Not ACKnowledged”, while ACK        is that the transmission is OK, and is therefore ACKnowledged.        The “User Equipment” (“UE”, which is a mobile telephone 4 or        other device, rather than the base station 12) transmits error        correction and detection information along with the user data.        Sometimes the error correction information is sufficient to        correct the received information, but sometimes it is        insufficient. When the user data is uncorrectable (as determined        by the error detection information), the base station 12        transmits a NACK digital signal back to the mobile device 4 to        tell the mobile device 4 to re-transmit the data. This happens        commonly in mobile networks, as the UE moves and the power level        received at the base station 12 changes. However, if the        received power level is high, but the NACK/ACK ratio is higher        than usual, this can be an indication that some kind of        interference is happening.

c. Timing Reference

-   -   UEs use the base station signal as a timing reference, along        with a “timing advance” command signal from the base station 12        to adjust the time that signals are transmitted. This allows the        signals from different UEs, at different distances from the base        station 12, to arrive at the same time (or very closely in        time). If a receive signal is observed to be at the wrong time,        this may indicate a mis-configuration of a base station 12 or        group of base stations 12, or a UE that is transmitting at the        wrong time.

3. For PIM Determination

-   -   Having knowledge of the downlink signal(s) allows for        characterization of PIM in the uplink, and how it would change        over time. This can take several forms:    -   a. If this behavior is observed in the uplink, this is a very        strong indicator that PIM is present, and allows calculation of        how bad the PIM could be under different traffic conditions        (i.e., how much power the base station 12 is transmitting).    -   b. Since PIM may be generated by a single transmitted frequency        (with modulation), or combinations of transmitted frequencies        (with or without modulation), different downlink signals need to        be accessed in different cases.    -   c. PIM may be internal to the cables 14 and antennas 10 of the        base station 12, or from an external object. Access to the base        station signals from multiple MIMO (“Multiple Input Multiple        Output”) transmitters at the same frequency allows observing if        the PIM signal is only from one MIMO transmitter, or from        several. If from one transmitter, the PIM is almost certainly        internal; if it is from multiple transmitters, it is almost        certainly external. It should be noted that similar information        can be obtained just by looking at the received signals on each        MIMO branch of the receive antenna 10 of the radio equipment 16,        but having access to the transmitted signals again provides        higher confidence in the diagnosis of the source of the PIM.

4. For External Interference Localization

-   -   Having access to uplink received signals at multiple locations        allows a position estimate of that signal using several        techniques, or a combination of them:        -   a. Multi-lateration (how GPS works). At least three (3)            receive locations are preferred for multi-lateration;            additional receive locations can reduce the uncertainty of            the location estimate.        -   b. Relative power levels between base station 12. Again, at            least three (3) receive locations are preferred for            measuring power levels to ascertain the possible location of            an external source of an interfering signal, and adding            additional receive locations can reduce location estimate            uncertainty.        -   c. Relative power levels between adjacent sectors pointing            in different directions, to get a bearing estimate from that            base station location. Relative phase could also be useful,            but only if any frequency conversions use a common local            oscillator, so there is no ambiguity in phase from that            source. Alternatively, it may be possible to measure the            local oscillator phase by measuring a known signal through            the RE 16 receiver for each sector, such as the reference            signal transmitted by a UE—if the location of that UE (and,            therefore, the bearing to the UE) can be determined by other            means, such as a GPS position report from the UE.            -   Bearing estimates from multiple base station locations                can help determine a position estimate, by using the                concept of triangulation.        -   d. Since these signals exist in a complex environment,            especially due to multipath, a combination of techniques            will generally provide a better estimate than any of them by            itself. The ability of the RANALYZER™ system 22 to connect            to different REs, at various locations, is essential for            extracting the different data to allow this analysis.        -   e. Tracking moving interferers is a more complex case of            localizing a fixed interferer. In this case, the observed            uplink signals likely to be from different REs 16 over time.            Having connections to multiple select REs 16 through the            switch assembly 26 simplifies this process, and simplifies            the process for estimating which RE 16 to observe next as            the interferer moves.

5. Determining Which Base Stations 12 Are Connected to Which Fiber

-   -   When connecting the RANALYZER™ system to a communications        network 2, determining which radio equipment 16 and antenna 10        each fiber is connected to is a challenge. By decoding base        station identification information (such as for LTE, the        cellldentity carried in System Information Block #1 (SIB1), or        the Physical Cell Identity (PCI) carried in the synchronization        signals), a unique or near-unique identity can be associated        with each RE. In many Equipment Monitoring Systems 38, a report        may be requested with detailed RE information, including        accurate location information, the LTE cellldentity, PCI, and        other useful data such as the allocated frequencies and        bandwidths used by the RE. In this case, matching this        configuration information to the observed cellldentities and        PCIs, this configuration can be done automatically, or        near-automatically.

6. Verification of Base Station Configuration

-   -   Base stations 12 have many configuration parameters that can be        adjusted. Many of these can be observed in the transmitted        information from the base station 12, and can then be verified        against expected values, either manually or automatically.

7. Scanning

-   -   By scanning through all (or a subset) of uplink signals, RAN        problems may be identified sooner than an alarm happens. This        allows scheduling maintenance in a proactive fashion, improving        RAN network quality and maintenance efficiency.

8. Automatic Configuration of Switch Ports

-   -   There can be many different REC-to-RE connections available to        the RANALYZER™ system. Manually configuring the system to know        which port 68, 70 is connected to which REC 18 and RE 16 would        be a time-consuming and error-prone process. Because of this,        the RANALYZER™ system automatically determines which port 68, 70        is which, based on the following steps:        -   a. During the setup phase, the robotic switch assembly 26 is            commanded by a control signal from the analytic computer            unit 30 to connect a test probe 64 sequentially to each test            port 70.        -   b. I/Q vectors are captured from the downlink direction, and            stored in a memory of the digital signal processor 24 or the            analytic computer unit 30 (see FIG. 13).        -   c. The RANALYZER™ system 22 synchronizes to the embedded LTE            clock signal in the I/Q vectors, and extracts two (2)            messages—the Physical Cell ID (contained in the            synchronizing signals) and the cellIdentity (contained in            System Information Block #1). These values are stored in            memory, along with the port 70 which was connected at the            time.        -   d. The Equipment Monitoring System 38 is queried for details            about the cellldentity that was received. This Physical Cell            ID is checked against the stored value to make sure they            match; if not an error report is sent to the manager (i.e.,            the person responsible for the operation of that particular            RANALYZER™ system 22) of that RANALYZER™ system 22. If there            is a match, the details about that cell site are stored in a            memory of the RANALYZER™ system 22. These details include            information including the location (street address and GPS            coordinates) of the antennas 10, how many sectors are            present at that site and what directions they are pointing,            and how high the antennas 10 are above the ground.        -   e. The RANALYZER™ system manager (the person responsible for            the operation of that particular RANALYZER™ system 22) may            manually adjust these settings, if necessary.        -   f. When the RANALYZER™ system 22 connects to a port 70, it            may verify if the Physical Cell ID and the cellldentity            signals are as expected. If not, a report is printed on a            printer (not shown) or displayed on the display 36 of the            RANALYZER™ system 22 and sent to the responsible technician            and the RANALYZER™ system manager. The RANALYZER™ system            manager may then manually change configuration settings, or            initiate another automatic configuration.

H) System Data Flow Overview

Referring to FIG. 6, using the example of the RANALYZER in a C-RANcontext, the flow of data through the system, and the transformation ofthis data into information is as follows:

-   -   1. As shown in the previous sections and in Block 20, the system        is connected to up to 8 REC-to-RE connections by means of fiber        taps. In this version of the system, this is configured as 4        pairs of connections, with each including both the uplink and        the matching downlink connections for the same RE.    -   2. Optical-to-Electrical Converter 28 converts these optical        signals to electrical signa This allows easier processing by        means of electrical, rather than optical, circuits.    -   3. The I/Q Sample Extraction 400 is the circuit for conversion        from a transport stream into I/Q data for different REs 16 and        antennas carried by that transport stream. This conversion can        be from various transports streams, including CPRI (Common        Public Radio Interface), OBSAI (Open Base Station Architecture        Initiative) and Ethernet. Each of these are possible by means of        a reconfiguration of this part of the circuit. This box        incorporates several steps, including:        -   a. Synchronization to the transport stream.        -   b. Removal of synchronizing patterns, such as 8B/10B and            64/66B.        -   c. Serial to Parallel conversion.        -   d. Demultiplexing the desired Antenna Container(s) (AxC in            the CPRI standard) to obtain the I/Q samples for (a)            particular antenna(s). This may be for the uplink direction,            the downlink direction, or both at the same time, as            necessary for the processing steps needed.    -   4. The DSP circuitry incorporates several of the following        processing circuits, generally more than the 4 pairs of physical        connections available. Also, each transport stream may contain        more than one AxC. Different processing circuits may have        somewhat different capabilities, due to resource limitations in        the DSP. Because of these things, the switch 402 routes desired        AxCs to the correct processing engines in the DSP. Outputs from        the switch 402 go to 1 or more of 4 different types of        processing circuits, as explained below.    -   5. Downlink I/Q samples go to I/Q Data Recording Block 404, as        well as Downlink Receiver Processing Block 406.    -   6. Uplink I/Q samples also go to I/Q Data Recording Block 404,        the Uplink Receiver Processing Block 408, as well as the        Spectrum Analysis Processing Block 410.    -   7. These 4 circuits are interconnected to provide information        based on the combination of downlink and uplink I/Q samples.        This will be further explained in the description of FIG. 7        below.    -   8. The outputs of these circuits are provided to the Analytic        Computer Unit 30 for:        -   a. Archival of I/Q samples, spectrum data, and other            measurement data in Mass storage 412. This is various            physical devices 120, 122, 124, 126 and 130 as shown in FIG.            13.        -   b. Further analysis, as detailed extensively herein.        -   c. Display 36 to users, and reporting to the Mobile Network            Operator's Equipment Monitoring System 38.        -   d. Return of archived spectrum data to the Spectrum Analysis            Processing Block 410, for further processing.        -   e. Return of I/Q samples to the EQ Data Recoding Block 404,            for further processing.

I) System Data Flow—Inner Block Details

FIG. 7 is explained here, with further details about each blockelsewhere herein.

-   -   1. Uplink & Downlink I/Q samples from the Switch 402 are routed        to two switches, 414 and 416. These switches configure the        digital signal processor 24 to either use live I/Q data from        switch 402, I/Q Data Recording Block 418 stored locally in the        DSP, or I/Q data stored in the analytic computer 30 and the        storage hierarchy attached thereto in memories 118, 122, 124,        126, and 130. Either set of I/Q samples if forwarded to other        blocks as detailed below.    -   2. Downlink I/Q samples are routed to the Downlink Receiver        Processing Block 406, which extracts several pieces of data,        including the LTE physical cell identity (PCI), the LTE        cellldentity, ACKs & NACKs, frame and symbol timing, uplink        allocations including assigned RBs and MCS, and frame timing.        -   a. The symbol timing data is routed to the Spectrum Trace            Creation block 420, to allow removal of the LTE Cyclic            Prefix (CP) and time-alignment with LTE symbols before the            spectrum is created, allowing observation of the spectrum            that the REC will see as the received signal.        -   b. The assigned LTE Resource Block data per UE are also            routed to Spectrum Trace Creation block 420 for creating an            uplink spectrum without UE traffic.        -   c. The PCI, cellldentity, ACK and NACK counts, and uplink            MCS allocations are forwarded to the Analytic Computer 30            for further processing, as detailed elsewhere herein.        -   d. The frame timing and uplink RB allocations are forwarded            to the Uplink Receiver. Processing Block 408 for received            power-level estimation.        -   e. The section on Digital Signal Processing herein explains            these steps process and the connections in more detail.    -   3. Uplink UQ samples from Switch 402, I/Q Data Recording Block        418, or from memories 118, 122, 124, 126 or 130 via the Analytic        Computer Unit 30 are routed to the Spectrum Trace Creation Block        420 for creating a spectrum trace, as detailed in the section on        Digital Signal Processing herein.        -   a. The Spectrum Trace Processing Block 414, which can            combine multiple spectrum traces together in various ways,            takes as input either the live spectrum created by the            Spectrum Trace Creation block 420, or previously stored            spectrums by means of switches 422 and 428. These previously            stored spectrums can come from the either the Spectrum            Recording Block 426, or from the Analytic Computer Unit 30.            The Analytic Computer Unit 30 stores spectrum traces in            memories 118, 122, 124, 126 or 130, as shown in FIG. 13. The            Spectrum Recording Block 420 stores spectrum traces in            memories 120 and 116 in the Digital Signal Processor 24.            -   The operation of the Spectrum Trace Processing Block 414                is explained in detail in the sub-section on Circuitry                to Process the Outputs of the FFT, in the Digital Signal                Processing section herein.        -   b. This spectrum trace may be just of the uplink I/Q samples            in the normal way, or it may have the uplink UE traffic            removed based on the information from the Downlink Receiver            Processing Block 406. Details about how the uplink traffic            is removed are explained in the section Getting Uplink            Spectrum without UE Traffic herein.    -   4. After spectrum trace processing, the subsequent spectrum        traces are recorded locally in the Spectrum Recording Block 426,        and are forwarded to the Analytic Computer for storage and        forwarding to clients as explained for FIG. 6.    -   5. Uplink complex I and Q samples are also forwarded from the        Switch 402 to the Uplink Receiver Processing Block 408, along        with the UE scheduling information extracted from the Downlink        I/Q samples by the Downlink Receiver Processing Block 406, for        received power level estimation per LTE UE. These data are        forwarded to the Analytic Computer for further analysis, as        detailed in the section on Receiver Functions herein.    -   6. The Convolutional Neural Network block 176 has several        inputs, including:        -   a. Complex I and Q samples from the Live or Stored I/Q            Switch 414.        -   b. Processed Spectrum Traces from block 424, which can be            either time-aligned to the LTE resource grid, or traditional            spectrum traces.        -   c. Histogram data from the 3D Histogram block 422.        -   d. Each of these can be based on live complex I and Q            samples from switch 402, or can be stored either internally            in the I/Q Data block 418, the Spectrum Recording block 426,            or stored in the Analytic Computer Unit 30.        -   e. For further details about the Convolutional Neural            Network block 176, refer to the section Convolution Neural            Network Pattern Recognition herein.

J) Digital Signal Processing

The Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 24 performs a variety of functions onthe transport data received from a selected RE or REC, including:

-   -   a. Extraction of I/Q samples from the transport data. Circuitry        in the DSP synchronizes to the transport stream, and extracts        I/Q samples for selected REs, in either the uplink or downlink        direction.    -   b. Circuitry in the DSP performs a Fourier Transform (usually a        Fast Fourier Transform or FFT) to create spectrum data.    -   c. When needed, a DSP circuit is also used to shift the center        frequency of the I/Q samples by mixing with a        Numerically-Controlled Oscillator (NCO), filter the I/Q samples        to a narrower bandwidth, reduce the sample rate accordingly. An        FFT can then be performed on the resulting I/Q samples. This        allows seeing the spectrum with a narrower bandwidth, just like        a larger FFT size would, but with less circuitry needed.        -   One of the benefits of using the NCO instead of an L.O., is            that I/Q samples can be stored while previously-stored I/Q            samples are being processed as above. If the above process            is sufficiently fast, it can be performed multiple times on            the stored I/Q samples. This allows this process to be            real-time, similar to a Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA),            with a larger ratio of Span-to-Resolution-Bandwidth            (Span/RBW) than previously available. The Span/RBW in RTSAs            is limited by the size of the FFT available, and large FFTs            take a tremendous amount of circuitry in digital signal            processors. This technique allows trading off the speed of            the Digital Signal Processor 24 for circuit complexity.    -   d. Circuitry to count the occurrence of each level for each        frequency from the output of the FFT for a programmed time, to        create a 3D histogram of occurrence versus level and frequency.        This histogram provides the capability for the color-graded        spectrum display in a Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA), as        well as the percentile traces mentioned next.    -   e. Circuitry to create percentile traces (q.v.) from the        above-mentioned 3D histogram.

f. Circuitry to Process the Outputs of the FFT

-   -   This encompasses several functions, including Spectrum Trace        Creation 420 and Trace Processing 424, as well as associated        Recording Block 426. This circuitry performs the following        functions:        -   i. Averaging the same frequency points of multiple spectrum            traces together.        -   ii. Picking the maximum of each frequency point of a set of            multiple spectrum traces.        -   iii. Picking the maximum of each frequency point of a set of            multiple spectrum traces over a period of time, then having            the retained maximum decrease in amplitude until another            higher point at that frequency is output from the FFT.        -   iv. Picking the minimum of each frequency point of a set of            multiple spectrum traces.        -   v. Picking the minimum of each frequency point of a set of            multiple spectrum traces over a period of time, then having            the retained maximum decrease in amplitude until another            higher point at that frequency is output from the FFT.        -   vi. Picking just one spectrum trace at a time, to provide a            lower output rate than the FPGA rate, for easier display            especially on a remote computer.        -   vii. Detection—creation of a spectrum trace with fewer            points, based on combining trace points in various ways,            including taking the maximum point, the minimum point, a            selected point, or averaging the points together.        -   viii. Reprocessing of stored spectrum traces to change the            number of spectrums per second. Having this capability in            the Digital Signal Processor 24 allows zooming a spectrogram            out (larger amount of time across the Display 36) quickly.            Zooming in quickly is done by reusing spectrums stored in            the Spectrum Recording Block 426, or in memories 118, 122,            124, 126, and 130, which are in or attached to the Analytic            Computer Unit 30.        -   ix. Selection of a subset of frequency points for display.    -   g. Circuitry in the DSP provides a variety of receiver functions        on the I/Q samples, including:        -   i. For the Downlink:            -   1. Synchronization to the LTE frame, sub-frame, and                symbols            -   2. Extraction of the Physical Cell Identity (PCI) and                cellIdentity            -   3. Decryption of the Physical Downlink Control Channel            -   4. Extraction of the programmed modulation & coding                scheme (MCS) for each UE being commanded            -   5. Extraction of the ACK and NACK counts for each                received UE being commanded            -   6. Optional removal of the LTE Cyclic Prefix before                creating a spectrum        -   ii. For the Uplink:            -   1. Optional removal of the LTE Cyclic Prefix before                creating a spectrum            -   2. Relative or absolute power level estimation. This                deteimines the power level in dB relative to full scale                by squaring the I & Q components of a sample and adding                them together and dividing by the system impedance of 50                ohms. This is then converted to absolute power by means                of a calibration factor for a particular model of RE,                determined separately from the system and stored in a                lookup table. Alternatively, a user may enter a                calibration factor for this step.            -   3. Create a non-traffic spectrum, by only keeping                Resource Blocks (ranges of frequency and time) where no                UE was commanded to transmit, as detailed in this                section above.            -   4. Creates a time-domain equalizer from the LTE                spectrum, for use in estimating the position of a                problem UE, in combination with the commanded timing                advance. See the section on Extended Analysis of                External Interference from Rogue Transmitters for more                details about how this is used.                -   The equalizer is formed by examining the                    Demodulation Reference Signal transmitted by the UE.                    This signal is extracted from the uplink                    transmissions, modulation on the signal is removed,                    and an inverse Fourier transform is perfoiiiied by                    the Digital Signal Processor 24. These                    transformations change the frequency-domain output                    of the FFT into a time-domain signal that gives the                    impulse response of the transmission channel, which                    is just what's needed for finding the cases where                    the strongest transmission channel isn't the                    shortest.

K) Cross-System Measurements

In a single C-RAN, measurements can easily be made on multiple REs 16simultaneously, giving rise to the benefits listed herein. However, inmany situations simultaneous (or near-simultaneous) measurements need tobe made between different systems. This can be because of a variety ofreasons, including:

-   -   a. Interference located between two C-RAN areas    -   b. Measurement units located at Macro sites    -   c. PIM caused by intermodulation of the signals between        different co-located mobile network operators. If the antennas        for different operators are close enough, and they are operating        at frequencies where PIM products can land at difficult        frequencies (i.e., where there are uplink receivers), PIM can be        created in a way that does not come from transmitters that are        measured from one C-RAN or Macro-site. In this case, being able        to measure the signals coming from each operator's transmitter        provides a high-confidence way to measure PIM levels, as well as        predict when the PIM level gets bad enough to cause a        failure—again allowing preventative maintenance. The system of        the present invention will make measurements between operators,        if they both approve of this use.

L) Simultaneous Measurements

In these (and possibly other similar cases), some way of makingsimultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements is important. Thenear-simultaneous case can be fairly simple, depending on the timingrequirements. A network message might be sufficient for this. However,for relative timing measurements between received signals, precisetiming is essential, so a method of precise synchronization is needed.Two ways of doing this are:

-   -   a. A one (1) Pulse-per-second from a GPS or similar receiver.        These signals can provide excellent absolute timing references        worldwide, and can be used along with time-of-day information        and network messages to make measurements simultaneously at        different locations.    -   b. Standard IEEE-1588 precision time protocol can also be used        as a time reference, if it is available via a network        connection.

M) Spectrum Analysis Functions

In a traditional RAN, a separate monitoring receiver or spectrumanalyzer is sometimes incorporated to allow observation of the RFspectrum in the vicinity of the antenna 10. Spectrum analyzers have beenavailable for decades, and exist in a wide variety of form factors,generally with an electrical input, often connected to an antenna. TheRANALYZER™ system 22 essentially incorporates the functionality of aspectrum analyzer, and extracts the spectrum information by examiningthe “I/Q vectors” that the Radio Equipment 16 and the Radio EquipmentController 18 use to communicate with each other over the CPRI link.These I/Q vectors describe the analog signal as a function of time, andare well known to electrical and radio engineers, as well asmathematicians. In addition, multiple channels of spectrum analysis arepreferably used simultaneously for analysis, for several purposes. Theseinclude:

-   -   1. Supporting multiple simultaneous users (looking at different        radios).    -   2. A single user comparing the signal from multiple radios and        locations to get clues about the source of unwanted noise and        interference.    -   3. Comparison of multiple signals to automatically diagnose the        root cause of RAN problems.

In a traditional spectrum analyzer, there is the concept of a “localoscillator”, or L.O., that can be used for examining different parts ofthe spectrum. In the Radio Equipment 16, the frequency of that L.O. isfixed, which thus cannot be used for this function. Instead, RANALYZER™system 22 uses Numerically Control Oscillator, or NCO, in the digitalsignal processor to provide this function digitally. In addition, thistechnique allows examining the spectrum in fine frequency detail, in anefficient way. See the section on Digital Signal Processing herein formore details on this subject.

N) Receiver Functions

In addition to directly examining the spectrum of the signal received bythe Radio Equipment 16, there are a number of benefits to examining thesignal transmitted from the Radio Equipment Controller 18, as well,which is performed by the RANALYZER™ system 22. These include:

-   -   1. Extracting the “Physical Cell Identity” or PCI code, to help        verify that the RANALYZER™ system 22 of the present invention is        connected to the correct Radio Equipment 16.    -   2. Extracting and decrypting the commands from in the downlink        direction to the mobile phone 4 that either acknowledges (“ACK”)        or not-acknowledges (“NACK”) that the signal was received and        decoded properly. If there are more NACKs than usual, this can        indicate the presence of bursty (non-continuous) noise or        interference.    -   3. Extracting and decrypting the signals from the Radio        Equipment 16 to the mobile phone 4 that tell the mobile phone 4        when and where (at what frequency) to transmit signals. This is        helpful to know when signals are not transmitted, which means        that the system 22 of the present invention can examine the        spectrum of just the noise—by looking at times and frequencies        where mobile phones 4 are not transmitting    -   4. Extracting the signals from the Physical Downlink Control        Channel (PDCCH) that command the UE to use a particular        Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS). The system compares this to        the received power level per RB to determine if the MCS is too        low given the power level received.    -   5. Comparing the power transmitted from the Base Station 12 to        the unwanted power received by the Base Station 12. If these are        highly correlated, it is a clear indication of PIM distortion.    -   6. Creating a high-confidence metric for the presence of PIM        distortion by digitally mixing the base station transmit signals        that may cause PIM, and comparing this to the signals received        in the uplink.    -   7. Determining if PIM is internal or external via a comparison        of the received signal in each MIMO branch of the antenna 10,        versus what has been transmitted in each branch. If the PIM        signal appears in more than one receive branch, and is related        to the signal transmitted in more than one MIMO branch, there is        a high confidence that the PIM is produced by an object external        to the cable and antenna system. Otherwise, the PIM is produced        internal to the cable and antenna system.

O) Signal Displays

There are a variety of displays shown on the display 36 that are usefulfor the engineer or technician using the RANALYZER™ system 22 of thepresent invention, including:

-   -   1. The spectrum of what the RRH (Remote Radio Head) or RE 16        sees. This is like using a portable spectrum analyzer connected        to a test port from a T-RAN (a common test), but much faster and        more convenient, since the user does not have to travel to the        physical location of the T-RAN.    -   2. Percentile traces. These are similar in concept to a        Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA), but instead of showing all        the probability for all different amplitudes in the form of a        colored display, the system 22 preferably shows only the signal        level for one or a few percentile values just some of the points        from the RTSA screen. This reduces the network bandwidth of the        internet protocol network 34 required between the client and        server 32 in the RANALYZER™ system block diagram (see FIG. 5),        which is often necessary for remote access and remote display.        However, the ability for an RTSA to show the presence of        multiple signals at the same frequency is retained.        -   The percentile values mentioned here are extracted from a            three-dimensional histogram generated by the RANALYZER™            system. This is a grid of power vs. frequency, with a count            of how often each power/frequency combination has occurred            over a user-selectable period of time. As each new spectrum            is computed by the system 22, the count of each            power/frequency combination in the histogram is incremented,            based on the values of that spectrum. The highest amplitude            encountered over that time for each frequency would be the            100-percentile point; the lowest amplitude would be the            0-percentile point. Amplitude points in between these two            values (at each frequency) would then have percentile values            between 0 and 100.            -   The number of probability levels shown on the display 36                can adapt to the available network bandwidth. If enough                network bandwidth is available, all probability levels                can be shown on the display 36, and this becomes the                traditional color-graded spectrum display of an RTSA.            -   The rate of client screen updates on the display 36 also                affects how many probability levels can be shown, along                with the network bandwidth. With a sufficiently slow                update rate for the available network bandwidth, an                entire color-graded RTSA display can be shown on the                display 36, even with little network data throughput.                However, this can be too slow to be useful. Allowing the                user to adjust the update rate allows the system 22 to                adapt the number of displayed probability levels to the                network bandwidth, thus providing an optimal tradeoff to                a user of the system 22.            -   For some types of spectrum, network bandwidth can also                be reduced by using differential encoding—only sending                changes between displays, rather than the entire                display. One way to help this is to only display levels                above the noise level, as random noise does not compress                with differential encoding.        -   3. Received Total Wideband Power (RTWP) and ΔRTWP traces.            These show the power received by each radio on the Radio            Equipment 16 as a function of time, or the difference in            power received among different antennas 10 connected to the            RE 16. These graphically depict how a diversity alarm is            happening—which radio/antenna it is coming from, and how            long the problem lasts.        -   4. It is well known that using a spectrogram can be useful            for seeing the spectrum over time, and that selecting a line            in the spectrogram can show the spectrum graph at that time.            Similar to this, the RTWP graphs displayed by the system 22            on the display 36 show power versus time, and can also be            used as a selection method to see spectrum history.        -   5. An Event list which is displayed on the display 36 shows            a summary of the problems that the RANALYZER™ system 22 has            detected over time. This can show what problems have been            happening in the RAN environment in a highly-compressed            form, making it easy to see at a glance the kinds of            problems that are happening and how often they happen.        -   6. Similar to using the RTWP graphs to select a spectrum to            show, an adjacent displayed graph displayed on the display            36 can show when Events happen versus time, and can be used            to show the spectrum during that Event, as well as what            Event was detected.        -   7. Since Events may happen over a very long time (hours or            even days), selecting by the system 22 of the present            invention an Event from the Event List displays the Spectrum            and RTWP at the time the event was detected, and can show            these at somewhat earlier or later times.        -   8. Map displays provided on the display 36 showing location            information for external interference (including PIM) can be            helpful for showing movement or the uncertainty of the            position estimate.        -   9. Three-Dimensional Spectrograms of the LTE Resource Grid            displayed on the display 36 show the spectrum versus time in            the same format as interpreted by the LTE receiver (i.e.            presented in the same fotiiiat as the LTE time and frequency            resource grid). Proper LTE signals (as identified by methods            discussed elsewhere herein) are grayed out on the display 36            at the user's choice, so that improper RF energy easily            stands out in the display. This enables a human to more            easily identify the problem.

Once the problem is identified by a human, and if the problem can becharacterized, then the RANALYZER™ system 22 can be configured to lookfor those characteristics, using a Convolutional Neural Network PatternRecognition system, as shown in FIG. 14.

-   -   -   10. Displays on the display 36 of the event list itself can            also be useful, including:            -   a. A simple list of events, with details about each.                These events can include:                -   i. Alarms and indicators that are received from the                    Equipment Monitoring System 38.                -   ii. Locations of captured spectrum and related data,                    as well as I/Q data for both uplink and downlink.                -   iii. Tests and diagnoses made by the system 22.            -   b. A filtered list of events, such as by location, time                of day, direction or customer impact. This filtering,                performed by the analytic computer unit 30 or the                digital signal processor 24, can apply to any of the                below displays, as well.            -   c. Events versus time, either as a simple graph, or a 2D                (two dimensional) chart—which can show a much longer                time period.            -   d. Sorted histograms of event types, similar to a Pareto                chart used for failure analysis.            -   e. 2D chart showing time-of-day versus duration.            -   f. Histogram of duration.            -   g. 3D (three dimensional) chart showing histogram of                duration versus time-of-day            -   h. Geographic map of events.                -   i. Coded by impact using color, or height for                    example.                -   ii. Video showing when and where events happen. This                    can be either faster or slower than real time.            -   i. Service impact (e.g. number of customer affected)                versus duration, or versus time of day.            -   j. 3D chart showing service impact versus duration and                time of day.

P) Further Analysis of Events

In addition to saving spectrum traces and RTWP values in a memory 118,the RANALYZER™ system 22 can also record the complex I and Q sample datafrom the Radio Equipment 16 into memories 118 and 122, which data areused to create those traces and RTWP values. This allows the user tomore closely examine what happened during the event, at a later time.This includes adjusting parameters such as Span and ResolutionBandwidth. Traditional spectrum analyzers may be able to save thetraces, but do not allow adjusting these parameters after displaying thetraces. Saving the I/Q data enables the user to play back the displaysshown on the display 36 in slow-motion and, therefore, to be able toanalyze bursty noise phenomena that are not perceptible by humans whenplayed at real-time speed.

Q) Getting Uplink Spectrum Without UE Traffic

One of the difficulties of finding noise or interference is that thesignal trying to be found (that noise or interference) is obscured bythe traffic signals from the mobile phones 4. If the SINR is very low orif there is very little traffic, this is not much of a problem, as thenoise and interference will dominate the observed spectrum. However, ina significant number of cases, the (intermittent) problems manifest onlywhen the system 22 is highly utilized. In those cases, it is importantto be able to detect and analyze noise in the presence of signal. Thereare a number of possible ways to address this problem, including:

-   -   1. Using a real-time spectrum analyzer (RTSA), or as stated        elsewhere herein, percentile traces, to get much of the        functionality of the RTSA through a low-bandwidth connection to        the client display 36. The advantage of these techniques is that        signals that are on at different times both show up in the        display 36. Since the mobile phone traffic is inherently bursty        (on sometimes and off others), there are usually times when        there are no mobile phone transmissions, at least for part of        the spectrum being examined; however, the off times of the UE        transmissions are too short for human perception; therefore, a        machine-based expert analysis performed by the system 22 is        preferred to catch the fault conditions, record the I/Q data        associated with those conditions into memories 118 and 122, and        then playback in slow-motion on the display 36 to a human for        confirmation of the analysis. Once sufficient confidence has        been established in the expert analysis performed by the system        22, the need for slow-motion playback on the display 36 to a        human might be eliminated in favor of having the system 22        automatically initiate a request for corrective action based on        its diagnosis of the root cause of the problem.    -   2. A more direct way of finding the times and portions of        spectrum that are unused is to extract and examine the control        signals from the base station 12 to various mobile phones 4. For        the LTE system, a signal called “PDCCH” (Physical Downlink        Control CHannel) contains the information of when and on what        frequencies mobile phones 4 or other UEs are directed to        transmit. By examining this signal, the system 22 of the present        invention can find times and frequencies where no mobile phone 4        is supposed to transmit, and look at just those times and        frequencies. Over time, a large part of the spectrum of interest        can be accumulated by the system 22 and stored in memory in this        way. One difficulty with this technique is that the PDCCH signal        is encrypted. Fortunately, the encryption key is short (only 16        bits, plus the known Physical Cell ID (PCI) for that base        station 12), and the transmission includes error correction        information that can be used to validate that the correct        encryption key is used. Thus, the encryption can be readily        overcome with a brute-force method—simply try every possible        key. With modern technology, it may or may not be possible to do        this in a real-time fashion (i.e., trying every key for each        part of the PDCCH before the next PDCCH transmission), but this        is easily overcome by recording the I/Q vectors for the time        period that the specific part of the PDCCH controls—something        that is well known from the specification of the LTE standard.        Again, the RANALYZER™ system 22 can build up and store in memory        a spectrum of interest (that is used for transmission of the        mobile phone signal) over time, by finding frequencies and times        that have not been scheduled for transmission by mobile phones        4. To speed up this process, several refinements are possible:        -   a. Since it is likely that a UE transmission may last for            more than one LTE sub-frame, as well as sending multiple            bursts of data, the system 22 may try the most recently used            encryption keys first. The probability of successfully            finding a key this way is much higher than from all possible            keys, thus speeding up the decryption process.        -   b. Have a Key Server 35 embedded in the Mobile Network            Operator's network. This would interact with the Mobile            Switching Centers 7, or other parts of the mobile network 2            that aren't explicitly shown in FIG. 1 to gain access to a            list of keys currently in use for UEs attached to each base            station 12. This will also reduce the number of keys that            must be tried. Again, this can substantially speed up the            search for keys by the system 22 in use for a particular LTE            sub-frame.    -   3. Another use of the data in the PDCCH is the Modulation &        Coding Scheme (MCS) that the REC commands UEs to use. MCS values        are highly variable, as the radio network constantly adapts to        changing signal conditions, especially path loss and multipath.        However, by examining many MCS commands for each RE, average and        peak values can be determined, which indicates the general        quality of the signal environment around that RE. By comparing        these average and peak values of MCS for several REs that are        nearby each other, the system can highlight problematic area.        This is most effective when the environment for each RE is        similar, such as a number of small areas inside a stadium, or in        dense urban environment with many small cells, such is common        for a C-RAN.    -   4. Characterization of UE transmissions by examining alignment        to the LTE time/frequency resource grid and examining other        known characteristics of the UE transmission. Identification of        proper LTE UE signals can be accomplished by the system 22 by        first looking for RF energy that aligns (or nearly aligns) to        the LTE resource grid. Proper LTE UE signals can be confirmed by        the system 22 by examining known characteristics of UE        transmissions. It is very difficult to determine the        DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS) Zadoff-Chu coding sequence        without knowledge of the input parameters; however, it is known        that Zadoff-Chu sequences are constant amplitude and, therefore,        the system 22 can use this knowledge to identify that certain        Resource Elements in the LTE Resource grid are in fact DMRS        transmissions, even though the exact sequence in use may not be        able to be determined. If the observed RF energy aligns to the        LTE grid and has DMRS signals in the proper location in the LTE        resource grid, then the system 22 can determine with high        confidence that the RF energy in question is a UE transmission.    -   5. To make it easier to find times where there is little or no        traffic, recording by the system 22 could be scheduled to happen        at specific times of the day or week. From years of experience        with mobile phone systems, engineers have developed the concept        of a “maintenance window”—a time when there is so little mobile        phone traffic that a base station 12 can be taken out of service        for maintenance. This would be one of the best times for the        system 22 to schedule a measurement of the spectrum to see        external interference that is continually present. PIM, however,        might be very low at this time, since the base station        transmitter that causes the PIM would not be doing very much        either. Other times of day might provide optimum conditions for        seeing PIM—light enough uplink traffic to be able to extract the        times the non-traffic spectrum, but heavy enough downlink (from        base station 12 to mobile phone 4) traffic that the PIM will be        easily seen. Or an out-of-service test can be scheduled to make        a definitive deteiiiiination see the section on Automatic Tests        during the Maintenance Window for more details about this.    -   6. Other implementations to achieve the effect of a percentile        trace include doing a minimum hold function with a threshold        above the theoretical noise floor on a small number of traces,        and then averaging the result over a time period that is        consistent with the dynamics of the UE traffic. Such steps may        be performed by the RANALYZER™ system of the present invention.    -   7. The spectrum of LTE signals is tightly controlled, but due to        limitations in the implementation of filters, the base station        receiver will see slightly more than this. In some cases, these        extra bits of spectrum can give clues to the causes of noise and        interference. Perhaps the best example is a stadium, where most        of the time there is little or no traffic. However, when tens of        thousands of people arrive, there may be almost no time when the        uplink spectrum is not completely used. In these cases, looking        just at these small bits of “extra” spectrum by the system 22 of        the present invention can be helpful.    -   8. A well-known way of seeing signals in the presence of        digitally-modulated signals is called “EVM Spectrum”, as well as        other names; “EVM” stands for “Error Vector Magnitude”, and is a        common way to measure the quality of digitally-modulated        signals. This uses the well-known characteristics of the        digitally-modulated signal to receive it, decode the bits being        used, recreate the originally-transmitted signal, and then        subtract that from what was received. This leaves just the        unwanted signal, plus some artifacts due to imperfect        reconstruction of the original signal. The spectrum of the        unwanted signal can then be created and displayed by the system        22 using well known mathematical techniques. While a very        powerful technique, EVM spectrum has a major problem when used        for the LTE uplink spectrum—it is very difficult to demodulate        the uplink signal without knowing the parameters of a special        part of the signal called the DMRS (or DeModulation Reference        Signal). This can be addressed partly by the RANALYZER™ system        22 using some information from the PDCCH mentioned above, but        other DMRS parameters may be more difficult to extract. A way        around this is to request those DMRS parameters for a particular        UE from the Equipment Monitoring System 38, or directly from the        RECs 18 parts of the network 2, similar to having a key server        as mentioned previously herein.

R) Smart Collection of Spectrum

Since noise and interference may vary with time, it can be useful forthe system 22 to record in memory a number of spectrums. A good exampleof this is a stadium that has a base station with a PIM problem. Wellbefore a game, there is essentially no downlink traffic, so there isessentially no PIM signal. As people arrive at the stadium, the trafficincreases, and so does the PIM level.

However, there is a potential problem with this. Since we are buildingup the spectrum from looking at times and frequencies that the basestation 12 has not told the mobile phones 4 to use, there can be a bitof a conflict. One would want to wait as long as possible to see theentire spectrum, but one also would like to see the changes in spectrumwith time. By setting a threshold for how much of the spectrum thesystem 22 should accumulate before displaying on the display 36 (andpossibly recording in memory) it, the user of the RANALYZER™ system canmake a tradeoff between how much of the spectrum is shown on the display36 versus how often it is shown. Alternatively, the user could specifyhow often to update the display 36, regardless of how much of thespectrum has been accumulated at that time.

Also, since some of the noise can come from PIM, and since the PIM levelvaries with the power level transmitted by the base station 12, it canbe helpful to accumulate parts of the spectrum by the system 22 based onthe transmitted power from that base station 12. If the system 22simultaneously records the power levels from the base station 12 whilethe system 22 is examining the “uplink” spectrum (from the mobile phone4 to the base station 12), the system 22 can sort those pieces of uplinkspectrum into groups based on those power levels. The RANALYZER™ system22 can then display on the display 36 the different spectrums as afunction of power transmitted from the base station 12. If the level ofthe unused uplink spectrum increases with the transmitted power from thebase station 12, this is a clear indication that PIM is present. If therelationship between these levels is the same as is expected from PIM(which is known from long experience by the mobile phone industry), thisis an even stronger indication that PIM is present.

S) Storage Hierarchy

The RANALYZER™ system 22 of the present invention deals with potentiallymassive amounts of data. In the present state of the art for the CPRIstandard, each of the optical connections 68, 70 can carry 24 billionbits per second. The RANALYZER™ system 22 preferably has eight (8)optical inputs (i.e., the test connection plugs 64 of the robotic switchassembly 26) (although the system 22 may be formed with more or fewerinputs), so there is the potential for 24 GB (Gigabytes) of data eachsecond. If all of this was recorded, a one TB (Terabyte) drive would befilled in under one minute. Clearly, it is impractical to store andintelligently retrieve all this data. To deal with all this data, theRANALYZER™ system 22 uses the concept of a storage hierarchy with expertanalysis and event-driven indexing, as illustrated in FIG. 13.

The digital signal processor 24 (preferably, an FPGA) in the RANALYZER™system 22 has several megabytes of high-speed static random accessmemory (SRAM 114). The available storage capacity of the SRAM 114 issmall compared to the overall storage needs of the system 22, but isuseful for buffering small amounts of I/Q data and a number of tracesfor storage in a local dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 116 coupledto the SRAM 114, which can be several gigabytes. The DRAM 116 allowssufficient storage of I/Q data (several seconds) so that the spectrumcan be examined by the system 22 in different ways, e.g. using differentresolution bandwidths, on the same captured data. The DRAM 116 alsoallows storing high-speed spectrum traces, i.e. faster than the humaneye can discern. This again allows more detailed inspection of thespectrum by the system 22 and a technician after-the-fact.

There is also a DRAM 118 in the analytic computer unit 30 or server 32of the system 22, which can also store high-speed I/Q data and spectrumtraces, and can be somewhat larger in storage capacity than that of theDRAM 116 or SRAM 114. This DRAM 118 allows storing of additional datawhile the Expert Analysis (see FIG. 13) is being performed by theanalytic computer unit 30 or server 32 of the system 22. For a system 22that is used at a macro-site, the DRAM 118 used for emulating a diskdrive can provide more storage than is conveniently available withlow-cost (e.g. 32 bit) CPUs. Local mass storage, such as from a flashmemory device 120, can also be used for buffering data for furtherprocessing.

More specifically, the system 22 of the present invention preferablyincludes the SRAM 114 in the digital signal processor 24, the DRAM 116,capable of more storage, connected to the digital signal processor 24,the flash memory 120 connected to the digital signal processor 24, andthe DRAM 118 situated on the analytic computer unit 30 or server 32 andcoupled to the DRAM 116 by way of a local or network connection.Furtheiiiiore, the system 22 preferably includes a high-speed solidstate disc drive memory 122 and a large archive disc drive memory 124,each of which is coupled to the DRAM 118 on the analytic computer unit30 or server 32.

Additional remotely located storage memory is also preferably providedby the system 22. More specifically, off-site storage 126 of I/Q data,spectrum data, and other data (e.g. NACK/ACK ratio, what LTEcellldentity applies to the I/Q and spectrum data) is provided throughthe private (or public) internet protocol network 34 and through outsideservers 128 operatively coupled to the server 32, as well as,optionally, a pool of storage devices or memories 130 connected to thesystem 22 through the network 34.

Once the system 22 has identified an interfering signal or excessivenoise, this is recorded in the Events System database (q.v.) in theRANALYZER™ system 22. To allow an operator of the system 22 to observewhat caused the event in more detail or for automated post-processing,the captured I/Q data and/or spectrum traces (that were buffered in theRAM 114 or other media) are stored to the high-speed solid-state drive122 forming part of the system 22 of the present invention.

While the speed of the SSD 122 is most useful, it is somewhat limited instorage capacity. When the data stored to the SSD 122 reaches someportion of the SSD storage capacity, then the data is off-loaded to alocal hard drive 124 with higher storage capacity. In addition, theRANALYZER™ system 22 keeps track of the count of the number ofoccurrences of similar type events and preferably only records a(user-configurable) number of the same type of event. This reduces thestorage requirements of the system 22 and also aids the user infiltering through large volumes of data to obtain actionable informationwith which to make a decision regarding how to resolve theservice-impacting problem.

Additional storage can also be made available via the network connection34. This can be useful in a variety of ways, including:

-   -   1. Very large storage in central locations. Due to space        limitations, truly massive storage is inconvenient at the        measurement points. However greater storage 126, 130 than is        available locally can be desirable, especially for the system 22        used at a macro-site. Since a network connection 34 is        available, this can be used to transport spectrums or I/Q data        to one or several central locations for further storage and        analysis.    -   2. The system 22 used at a macro-site has both limited memory,        storage and processing power. These can be supplemented by a        central server 128 with large amounts of each of these.        Sufficient local storage for gathering useful data at the        macro-site is essential, and this can be shipped at a convenient        time to one or several central servers 128.    -   3. Aggregation of data for further analysis. Once problems are        found, a good practice is to examine what problems happen often,        and then fix the root cause of those problems. Aggregating        failure data from multiple sites can lend a great deal of        insight for this process. Such is performed by the system 22 of        the present invention.    -   4. One use of the measurement data processed by the system 22 is        to make a case that someone or something is consistently causing        interference. Having the measurement data stored in a        distributed fashion by the system 22 makes sure that it is        available when needed.

The system user can also manually archive events of interest, andreports created from those events, to a large local hard drive 124, orother storage media, either local or connected via network 34.

T) Combining Spectrum Analysis and Receiver Functions

While the system 22 of the present invention is particularly interestedin seeing the uplink spectrum, monitoring the downlink signal at thesame time by the system 22 can also be helpful in a variety of ways,including:

-   -   1. As mentioned above, extracting the LTE PDCCH signal from the        downlink signal can help find parts of the uplink spectrum that        are not scheduled for use (in both frequency and time).    -   2. Another part of the LTE downlink signal is called PHICH, for        Physical Hybrid        -   Automatic repeat request Indicator CHannel. The base station            12 uses this signal to tell the mobile phone 4 that it did            not hear its last transmission correctly. Most of the time,            the base station 12 sends an acknowledgement (or “ACK”) that            the signal was okay, but sometimes the base station 12 sends            a “not-acknowledgement” (or “NACK”) that it could not hear            the signal (or more precisely that the error correction            information that is also transmitted showed that there is an            uncorrectable error). The ratio between how often these            signals happen varies somewhat, but is generally fairly            constant. If the ratio of NACK/ACK is larger than usual,            this can indicate that a brief noise signal was present. The            system 22 of the present invention may look to see the            spectrum just during these times, compared to the spectrum            when the NACK/ACK ratio is low.    -   3. Similar to the above, recording the I/Q data by the system 22        into memories 118 and 122 when NACK/ACK is high gives the        capability for further analysis of the signals (both uplink &        downlink) that happen during these times.

U) Automatic Analysis and Identification of Interference and NoiseSources

As can be seen in Table 2: Most Common RAN Environment Problems andRelated Network Notifications, there is a relationship between problemsin the RAN 6 (Root Causes) and various indicators and alarms. Anexamination reveals that one can get similar indicators and alarms fordifferent root causes. For example, External PIM and ExternalInterference can give the exact same alarms. Thus, the maintenanceengineer or technician knows there probably is some problem in the RAN6, but not what to fix.

It should be noted that Table 2 refers to antenna 1 and antenna 2, whichis common for LTE deployments. However, more than two (2) antennas foran RE 16 is also common, and a similar set of conditions happens in thiscase.

TABLE 2 Most Common RAN Environment Problems and Related NetworkEquipment Notifications Physical Manifestation (total power per antennabranch) Indicators and Alarms Root Cause Antenna 1 Antenna 2 Alarm Radio1 Radio 2 Notes Externa stronger weaker high RSSI yes (val1) maybe(val2) The indicators and alarms for external Interference diversityimbalance yes, if |val1 − val2| > 5 dB interference and external PIM arethe same. affects both about equally high RSSI yes (val1) yes (val2) Thetechniques to differentiate between them diversity imbalance probablynot are part of the patent claims External PIM stronger weaker high RSSIyes (val1) maybe (val2) diversity imbalance yes, if |val1 − val2| > 5 dBaffects both about equally high RSSI yes (val1) yes (val2) diversityimbalance probably not Internal PIM stronger weaker high RSSI yes (val1)no This problem can be determined by the alarm diversity imbalance yesindicators unless it is an intermittent problem (and it often isintermittent) Severely-degraded stronger weaker high RSSI no no Thiswill also have a high VSWR alarm. this antenna diversity imbalance yesproblem can be determined by the alarm connection indicators Flase Alarmstronger weaker high RSSI maybe maybe False Alarms happen frequently,with no affects both about equally diversity imbalance maybe maybe knowncause other than random chance due stronger weaker maybe maybe maybe tothe high variability of random noise. affects both about equallydiversity imbalance maybe maybe

To address this, the RANALYZER™ system 22 analyzes the uplink signalreceived by the Radio Equipment 16 to give a much higher confidence ofwhat is causing the problem, and therefore what needs to be fixed. Thesystem 22 does this with a multi-step testing approach listed below andshown in FIGS. 15A-F. While any one of these tiers is useful fordetermining the cause of RAN problems, the combination of them is evenmore powerful, as it allows the system 22 to have high confidencequickly, as well as efficiently screen for intermittent problems.

1. Alarms and Indicators

The first test of the system 22 is just to analyze the alarms andindicators that are mentioned in Table 2, for the Radio Equipment 16 inquestion. While these are not definitive results, they do indicate thatthere likely is a problem, and give some hints about what the problemmay be.

Referring to Box 1 (Step 132) on FIG. 15A, the system 22 includes Table3 as a lookup table stored in memories 118 and 124. This table lists themost likely problems given different combinations of alarms orindicators. The system 22 compares received alarms with this table inmemory to determine the most likely and possible causes of the alarm.This information is then:

-   -   Displayed to a user on display 36.    -   Stored in memory 118 and in mass storage in the Storage        Hierarchy 112, 124, 126 and 130, as an element of the Events        System database (q.v.).    -   Sent to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.    -   Used to determine what RE 16 and REC 18 the system 22 will        connect to using the switch assembly 26 for further tests.

Key to this capability is integration with the alarming system 38 in thenetwork 2, for example, subscribing to the same messages that relevanttechnicians get when there is an alarm, then parsing the resultingmessages for the useful alarm information.

To address this, the RANalyzer analyzes the signal received by the RadioEquipment to give a much higher confidence of what is causing theproblem, and therefore what needs to be fixed. The system does this witha multi-tiered screening approach listed below and shown in FIGS. 15A-F.While any one of these tiers is useful for determining the cause of RANproblems, the combination of them is even more powerful.

TABLE 3 Likely Causes of Alarms Alarms Most Likely Problems SecondaryProblems High RSSI (only) External PIM Internal PIM in a component thatis common to both antenna branches External interference from Un-managedBDA malfunctioning transmitters False Alarm Diversity Imbalance InternalPIM Polarized external interference (low level that effects one branchbut (only) not the other) Polarized external PIM (low level that effectsone branch but not the other) Malfunctioning pre-amplifier in the RadioEquipment (RE) Un-managed BDA with polarized antenna False Alarm HighRSSI & Internal PIM Polarized external interference Diversity ImbalancePolarized external PIM Un-managed BDA with polarized antenna VSWR (only)Somewhat degraded antenna False Alarm connection Diversity Severelydegraded antenna False Alarm Imbalance & VSWR connection

Referring to FIG. 15A, Box 2 (Step 134), the alarms and indicators fromthe network equipment monitoring system 38 are created for a specificLTE cellIdentity. The cellIdentity is used to tell the switch assembly26 of the present invention which circuit to connect to (see also FIGS.5A-C). These alarms are the triggering event that commands the switch 26of the system 22 to automatically connect to a circuit, and for theRANALYZER™ system 22 to begin its analysis to either determine the rootcause of the problem or determine that the alarm is a false alarm.

2. Collect “RFX” Data (see Box 3, Step 136, in FIG. 15A)

Once alarms have been received and REs 16 automatically selected by theswitch assembly 26 for analysis, the system 22 captures (i.e., extracts)the uplink I/Q data from the RE 16. The system 22 then proceeds to FIG.15A Box 4 (Step 138), and collects a variety of data, specifically it:

-   -   Converts the I/Q data to a set of spectrum traces by means of a        Fast Fourier Transform, detection and trace processing        (including user-selectable percentile traces) in the digital        signal processor 24. These traces are compared to        user-adjustable reference traces stored in the memories 118 and        124 in the system 22.    -   Creates a 3D histogram from those spectrums, over a        user-selectable period. This will not be used in this step, but        is captured to allow processing in a later step with the uplink        signal acquired at the same time.    -   Measures the Received Total Wideband Power (RTWP) in each uplink        signal for that sector, over a user-selectable period, and        compares that to a user-defined threshold stored in the memories        118 and 124 in the system 22.    -   Measures the difference in RTWP between MIMO receive branches of        the antenna 10 for that sector, over a user-selectable period,        and compares that to another user-defined threshold stored in        the memories 118 and 124 in the system 22.

Simultaneously, I/Q samples are captured from the matching downlinkconnection using the switch assembly 26. From these samples, the ACK andNACK messages are extracted and counted (see the section “CombiningSpectrum Analysis and Receiver Functions” for more details about this).If the NACK/ACK ratio is too high, this is an indication of bursty noiseor interference that is affecting that RE.

These data are referred to herein as RFX Data in Box 3 (Step 136) ofFIG. 15A.

In FIG. 15A, Box 4 (Step 138), the system 22 then examines that RFXdata, looking for evidence of any type of interference (PIM, roguetransmitters, or other), as listed above. Meanwhile the system 22 alsostores the spectrum and related data, I/Q data (from both downlink anduplink) and NACK/ACK ratio in memories 118 and possibly 122 in case itis needed for further analysis and reporting in later steps of automaticanalysis. The evidence being sought is spectrum or spectrogram data thatdoes not fit the profile of normal UE transmissions (e.g., spectrum datathat does not conform to the LTE uplink resource grid). If conditionsresult in a comparison that exceeds one of the thresholds or limits, thesystem records this as an Event.

If any one of the above conditions results in a comparison that exceedsone of the thresholds or limits as shown in Box 5 (Step 140), the system22 stores this occurrence in the Events System database (q.v.) in thearchive disk 124, along with the RFX data, the I/Q data, NACK/ACK ratioand the cellldentity of the RE being measured. The system 22 thenproceeds as shown in FIG. 15A, Box 6 (Step 142). These data are thuslyavailable for analysis per the methods below (q.v.) for diagnosing theroot cause of alarms with high confidence.

If there is no pattern match over a user-selectable time, the systemproceeds as shown in FIG. 15A, Box 7 (Step 144).

This process performed by the system 22 of the present invention thencan automatically repeat for different alarms for the same RadioEquipment 16 (perhaps for different sectors or bands, for example), orfor other Radio Equipment 16.

3. Removal of UE Traffic to Isolate Interference for Analysis

-   -   a. Referring to FIG. 15B, Box 1 (Step 146), once some form of        interference has been detected, the RANALYZER™ system 22 then        does a further examination of the spectrum without uplink UE        traffic. This is because the objective of the RANALYZER™ system        22 is to characterize interference in the presence of signals.        The most effective method to achieve this goal is to create a        spectrum of times & frequencies when UE signals are not present        by:        -   i. Using the stored I/Q samples from the previous step        -   ii. Extracting and decrypting the signals from the Radio            Equipment Controller (REC) 18 to the mobile phone 4 that            tell the mobile phone 4 when and at what frequency to            transmit signals        -   iii. Using this information to determine when there are no            scheduled transmissions at different times and frequencies            (so-called “Resource Blocks” for LTE).        -   iv. Collecting and storing spectrum data during the UE            silent times and frequencies.        -   v. Creating a spectrum during just the UE silent times and            frequencies, thus showing the signal without the scheduled            traffic.

For more details on this topic, refer to the section “Getting UplinkSpectrum without UE Traffic”.

This could be performed in a real-time way by the system 22, and thuswould be part of all spectrum screening. However, some versions of theRANALYZER™ system 22 may not be capable of performing the decryptionnecessary to determine silent periods in real-time. In this case, thenI/Q data must be captured into memories 120, 118 or 122, and analyzed inpost-processing mode, either locally or in a remote system connected viaa network 34.

b. Removal of UE Traffic From Adjacent Cells

One limitation of removing UE traffic from a cell is that there areother nearby UEs that may also be transmitting to other REs 16. If theseare close to that other cell, their received power at the cell ofinterest may be low enough that they can be ignored. However, if theyare at the edge between cells, the received power levels may be highenough to seem like PIM or external interference. To alleviate this,since the RANALYZER™ system 22 can connect to multiple REC-to-REconnections, the system 22 may perform the same process using theobserved scheduling information from adjacent cells as well, looking fortimes and frequencies where both the cell being tested and the adjacentcell have no scheduled uplink traffic.

In the case of the RANALYZER™ system 22 used in the Macrosite context(see FIG. 5B), this can be accomplished by scheduling those sites tocapture and store I/Q samples in memory 118 at the same time, and thensending either the I/Q samples or preferably the extracted schedulinginformation to a system 22 at a central location (preferably the sitefor the sector being tested) via a network, such as network 34, forprocessing.

4. Checking if Traffic Removal Has Been Effective

However, there are a variety of reasons why this functionality may notbe available, including very heavy traffic during all times when theinterference is present, such as during major sports games, precludingany time/frequency pair (LTE Resource Block) when there is no traffic.The available hardware may also be insufficient for eliminating the UEtraffic as well, for some versions of the system. In Box 2 (Step 147)this determination is made, by determining if a user-adjustable portionof the spectrum has been obtained without traffic in a user-set perioedof time. In these cases, the system uses alternative, somewhat lesseffective or efficient means to see the noise in the presence of signal,including RTSA functionality, percentile traces, and EVM spectrum.

Another alternative that the system has available for cases where it isdifficult to eliminate the uplink traffic from the spectrum display isto analyze the modulation format and error correction scheme (so-calledModulation and Coding Scheme, or MCS, in LTE) that the base stationtells the UE to use, and then compare this among multiple UEs forseveral REs. This is shown in FIG. 15B, Box 2 (Step 147) to determine ifthis step is necessary, Box 7 (Step 149) for the analysis process andBox 8 (Step 151) for the report sent to the Equipment Monitoring System38.

The system determines the MCS by examining the Downlink I/Q samples thathave been captured for the problem RE, decrypting the PDCCH commands(see the section on Receiver Processing herein for more details aboutthis), and then decoding the MCS part of the PDCCH command that containsthe commanded MCS value.

In LTE, the MCS can take on values from 0 to 15, where lower valuesindicate lower-order modulation and more error correction, and thereforelower throughput but more robustness to noise. In the case where manyREs are relatively close to each other, such as may be the case in astadium, the distribution of MCSs used should be similar among all REs,or at least all REs in a similar position (such as inside the stadium orin the parking lot). If some REs show a lower average peak MCS beingused, this indicates that there is some reason that RE can't receivesignals as well, such as external interference. There could be otherreasons that a single RE has this problem, such as a bad antenna, but ifmultiple nearby REs have the same problem, this is more likely to be acase of external interference—for example a jammer that someone bringsto the game. The system compares the average MCS among many REs around astadium to create a “heat map” that gives a general indication of wherethe interference source is located.

5. Compare Spectrum to Known Types

Referring to FIG. 15B, Box 3 (Step 148), once the UE traffic has beenremoved, and a traffic-free spectrum obtained, the system 22 thencompares the observed uplink spectrum to reference spectrums, orparametric descriptions of spectrums, from a lookup table stored inmemories 118 and 124. These can include spectrums that both describePIM, as well as rogue transmitters. The system 22 compares thecalculated uplink spectrum received from the RE 16 and these storedreference spectrums to see if there is a match.

If a good match is found to PIM, the system 22 records and stores thisas in the Event System database (q.v.), and then proceeds as shown inBox 4 (Step 150) in FIG. 15B. If not PIM, and if the spectrum matchesone of the stored known rogue transmitter types listed below, the system22 records and stores this in the Event System database (q.v, andproceeds as shown in Box 5 (Step 152) in FIG. 15B. However, if thetraffic-free spectrum shows no signal above the stored user-set noiselevel, that is useful information as well. In this case, the system 22creates and stores this information in the Events System database(q.v.), and also proceeds as shown in Box 6 (Step 154) of FIG. 15B.

The methods used by the system 22 to find the non-conforming datainclude:

-   -   Comparing the calculated slope of the averaged traces to a        reference slope, stored in memories 118 and 124, that describes        PIM. If the slopes are sufficiently close, this is an indication        that PIM is likely the problem.    -   Comparing spectrum traces to a user-configurable reference        spectrum (limit line) stored in memories 118 and 124.

Details of what the reference spectrums, or parametric descriptions ofthese spectrums, are listed in the relevant sections below.

a. Spectrum Characteristics of PIM

The spectrum of PIM has a characteristic shape, making it identifiableby a trained observer, at least after some averaging is applied by thesystem 22 to the spectrum to remove variations. The spectrum shape forPIM can take on several similar forms depending on the relativefrequencies of the signals causing the PIM as well as the RadioEquipment receive frequency. These forms are generally the slope of thespectrum, which can be rising or falling, over a range of knownfrequencies. If the user has configured the RANALYZER™ system 22 withwhat frequencies and bandwidths of signals are present on each antenna10, either by manual entry into a configuration database or via a reportfrom the Equipment Monitoring System 38 (see the subsection Determiningwhich Base Stations 12 are Connected to Which Fiber for details onthis), as well as nearby antenna systems 10, the RANALYZER™ system 22will calculate the PIM characteristics that those frequencies andbandwidths would cause, and compare the received spectrum to thatcalculation. If the RANALYZER™ system 22 is not so configured (i.e.,with knowledge of the transmit frequencies of REs 16 that is connectedto), the RANALYZER™ system 22 cannot compute a specific referencespectrum, since it does not know how to combine the different signals.However, all types of PIM have a similar characteristic, in that thereis a significant slope to the spectrum after averaging the spectrum fromthe RE 16 over time (there may be a slope before averaging due tomultipath, and thus the system 22 applies averaging for this test). Theslope can vary with the relevant transmit frequencies, and can bepositive or negative. So, in this case, the RANALYZER™ system 22 doesnot compare the spectrum to a stored reference spectrum, but rather justcalculates the slope of that spectrum. If the slope is relatively large(positive or negative), this is an indication that PIM is present. Thisprocess is somewhat slower and less precise than comparing to a specificstored computed reference spectrum, but does not require configurationof the RANALYZER™ system 22 with specific radio frequency informationabout RF transmitters. Because of the imprecision of this technique, thesystem 22 would have to consider all possible sources of interference,slowing the diagnostic process, so the system 22 preferably uses theradio configuration information in the improved process mentioned above.

If PIM is detected on multiple antennas 10 for a specific RadioEquipment 16, at similar levels, it is very likely that the PIM iscoming from an external source, such as a nearby metal junction that isrusty. Because of this, the system 22 records and stores the spectrumfrom all MIMO branches of the RE antenna 10, as well as the relativepower levels among them. This is used for analyzing and reporting ofinternal or external PIM, along with the extended PIM analysis listedbelow.

b. Spectrum Characteristics of Rogue Transmitters

The most common types of rogue transmitters and their associatedspectrum characteristics are listed in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Common Spectrum Characteristics of different InterferenceSignals Interference Signal Type Common Spectrum Characteristics CableTV leakage Flat spectrum across channel width (typically 6, 7, or 8MHz), with dips at known channel boundaries. Leaking “clock” signal frommost any Single spike at one frequency. Commonly called “CW” (forcontinuous wave) digital electronics signal. Oscillating repeater(sometimes called a Distorted version of the input signal. Frequency maywander or scroll. “bi-directional amplifier” or BDA) BDAs that are toostrong Create a normal (or nearly normal) looking signal, but it is toostrong and cannot be power-controlled to a low enough level by networkcommands. This is a somewhat rare occurrence, but can happen when theBDA is close to the network antenna. Wireless microphones at the wrongMay be analog (usually FM) or digital. Only present sporadically, suchas during frequency sports games or other meetings. Transmitterharmonics Wider version of spectrum from transmitter, most commonlyterrestrial TV. Jammers Broad noise rise on all antennas, flat infrequency, even beyond limits of LTE signals.

These characteristics are stored in memories 118 and 124 in the system22 as reference spectrums, and the received spectrum, with UEtransmissions removed, is compared to these stored reference spectrums.If a match is found, this is displayed and reported to the technicianwho will be finding the rogue transmitter. This helps the technician bygiving an indication of the specific type of device to be looking for.

The pattern matching is easily extended if the characteristics of othertypes of interference become known. While some signals are quite stablewith time, such as the common case with cable TV leakage, others cancome and go. The Events System database (q.v.) in the analytic computerunit 30 in the RANALYZER™ system 22 helps keep track of such events.

c. Spectrum Characteristics of Other Transmitters

When the system 22 detects that there is a received signal level abovethe stored, user-set threshold, but does not match one of the storedknown patterns, this is most likely a type of rogue transmitter forwhich the system does not have a stored reference spectrum or parametricdescription. However, there are two other cases that need to checked bythe system 22—a UE that is transmitting bad signals (distorted, wrongpower level, or incorrect timing advance), and an unmanaged repeater (orbi-directional amplifier) that is causing receive signal levels to betoo high at the RE 16. These will be covered in more detail in the belowsection on Extended Analysis of External Interference from RogueTransmitters.

6. Extended PIM Analysis

Referring to FIG. 15C, if the PIM is detected on just one of the receiveantennas 10 for a particular sector and band, it is more likely that thePIM is coming from an internal problem, either in the cable from theRadio Equipment 16 to the antenna 10, or in the antenna 10 itselfHowever, there are situations where externally created PIM is polarized,and (since antennas 10 are often polarized orthogonally) it is possiblethat external PIM could be seen in one antenna 10 but not the other ifit were at a low level (close to the noise floor of the RE 16) and of asimilar polarization to just one antenna 10. Thus, while it is likelythat the PIM is coming from an internal source in this case, additionaltesting is required to make this a definitive judgment.

Once the system 22 has identified PIM as the likely cause of theproblem, further tests are performed by the system 22 to verify that PIMis actually present and locate the source of it.

a. External or Internal PIM Determination—MIMO Branch Comparator

The PIM level in the uplink varies as a strong function of the downlinktransmitted signals, especially the power level. The system 22 uses thisto determine if the source of the PIM is internal or external to thecable and antenna system connected to the RE 16. It is important to knowif the PIM is internal or external, as the troubleshooting and repairprocess is very different for these two cases, and performing the wrongcorrective action is very expensive.

Referring to FIG. 15C, Box 1 (Step 156), the system 22 determines if PIMis internal or external with high confidence by using the followingsteps:

-   -   i. First, the unwanted signal is verified to be PIM:        -   1. If the likely source of PIM is due to only the downlink            signal previously captured (due to the frequency bands in            use at that problem site), then the system 22 uses the            captured I/Q downlink signals from the Radio Equipment            Controller 18 (captured at the same time as spectrum traces            were created for the Compare Spectrum to Known Types step,            i.e., Step 148 in FIG. 15B).        -   2. However, if the likely source of PIM is due to mixing of            different frequencies bands (e.g. the downlink of the AWS            and PCS bands creating PIM in the uplink of the AWS band),            then the RANALYZER™ system 22 will command the test access            switch assembly 26 to obtain access to the downlink I/Q data            from the additional frequency bands.        -   3. The system 22 then digitally mixes the likely transmitted            signals causing the PIM in the digital signal processor 24            to create and store in memory 116 a reference signal            waveform.            -   It should be noted that “mixing” can be done by single                or multiple multiplications in the time domain applying                a nonlinear transfer function in the amplitude domain or                by convolution in the frequency domain.        -   4. This stored reference signal waveform is then compared to            the observed uplink signal in the digital signal processor            24, after time alignment to adjust for differences in timing            due to the round-trip delays incurred as a result of the            measurement points being far from the PIM source, and level            adjustment since the strength of the PIM source is unknown.        -   5. If the comparison shows a good match, then there is very            high confidence that the source of the problem is in fact            PIM.    -   ii. The system 22 then determines if the PIM source is either        internal or external to the RF cable and antenna system        connected to the RE 16. The system 22 determines this with the        Digital Signal Processor 24 using the stored complex (I and Q)        waveforms of each MIMO branch of the antenna 10—again both        downlink and uplink for each branch, from either one or several        transmitters. It should be noted that the transmitted downlink        signals from each MIMO antenna branch will be similar, but are        not identical. These signals are digitally mixed in the Digital        Signal Processor 24 to simulate possible PIM sources, and these        are then compared to the received signals. If the comparison is        strong for one branch but not the other, the PIM is determined        to be from an internal source. If the comparison is strong for        both branches, as well as strong for mixing with a combination        of the downlink signal from both branches, the PIM is determined        to be from an external source.        -   For details about this step, refer to the section Details            about MIMO Branch Comparator herein,

b. External PIM Polarization Angle

There is also a somewhat unusual case where the pattern matching by thesystem 22 between MIMO antenna branches fails (i.e., there is no match).This is where there is an external PIM source that is polarized, and thepolarization is spatially aligned with just one MIMO branch of theantenna 10. Fortunately, cases where this happens are rare. Somewhatless rare is the case where the external PIM is polarized, but notaligned with any particular MIMO antenna 10. Also, if there are morethan two MIMO antenna branches for one RE 16, the antennas 10 obviouslycannot all be orthogonal, since they are pointing in the same direction.These additional antennas 10, however, can give additional confidence inthe PIM being internal or external, since a polarized external PIMsource would show up in all antenna branches that have the same, orsimilar, polarization.

Because it can be difficult to find external PIM sources, knowing ifthere is any polarization to it can be helpful in knowing what to lookfor, as there will be a physical feature that is at that angle. Forexample, if the polarization is known to be vertical, it is unlikelythat horizontal metal flashing could be the cause.

The system 22 determines the polarization angle for external PIM by:

-   -   Creating the sum and difference signals in the digital signal        processor 24 from the different polarizations of receive        antennas.    -   Applying these to the X and Y axes (or other orthogonal axes) of        the display 36. Over time, the predominant angle displayed by        these signals will be the angle of the polarization of the        external PIM (if the axes of the display 36 correspond to the        axes of the antennas 10).    -   This angle may also be determined by the digital signal        processor 24 by the processor 24 extracting the angle that would        be displayed, and averaging this over time. The system 22 uses        the information about the polarization angle as part of the        report to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.

c. Further Verification of PIM

Sometimes I/Q analysis of PIM by the system 22 may not show the PIMproblem, due to a variety of factors. These can be that the PIM isintermittent, or that it is hidden by other received signals. Because ofthis, if the result of the Internal or External PIM determination by thesystem 22 did not show PIM, the system 22 performs an additional test,shown in FIG. 15C, Box 3 (Step 162). See the section on Automatic Testsduring the Maintenance Window for further details about how the system22 performs this test.

If the RANALYZER™ system 22 does not find PIM during this additionaltest (see FIG. 15C, Box 5, Step 164), this information is stored in theEvent System database (q.v.). The I/Q data that was stored in memories118 and 122 during the initial screening for PIM is archived to memories124, 126 and 130, and a report is sent to the Equipment MonitoringSystem 36. If the system 22 does find PIM during this test, the system22 proceeds as shown in FIG. 15C, Box 7 (Step 166), to determine thelocation of the PIM source.

If no PIM is found from this test, the system proceeds as in FIG. 15C,Box 6 (Step 168), as this is so unusual that a human being needs to beinvolved with discovering the root cause. To aid this process, all ofthe captured I/Q data from the above tests is archived into memories124, 126 and 130, and an electronic report is sent to the EquipmentMonitoring System 38. This report describes the tests and the storagelocation of the I/Q data. By storing the RE that's been tested alongwith the spectrum and I/Q data, that person has a wealth of data to helpwith the troubleshooting process.

d. Location (Distance to PIM)

Referring to FIG. 15C, Box 4 (Step 160), the last step in diagnosing PIMis to determine its location. This is accomplished by scheduling anout-of-service test performed by the system 22 during a maintenancewindow. The method used by the system 22 by which distance to PIM isaccurately determined is discussed below in the section on Distance toPIM. Results of this measurement are saved in the Events Systemdatabase, in memories 124, 126, and 130. A report is then set to theEquipment Monitoring System 38, as explained below.

e. PIM Reporting

Referring to FIG. 15C, Box 8 (Step 170), based on the tests performed bythe system 22 shown in FIG. 15C, in Boxes 1, 3, 4 and 7 (Steps 156, 162,160 and 166, respectively), an electronic report is sent to theEquipment Monitoring System 38. This is commonly then forwarded to theresponsible person for either corrective action or further analysis.Reporting when PIM has not been confirmed is explained above.

7. Extended Analysis of External Interference From Rogue Transmitters

Referring to FIG. 15D, signals from rogue transmitters often havecharacteristics that can be determined in a variety of ways. Thesecharacteristics can create higher confidence in the determination of thetype of signal causing the interference, and can be used to help build alibrary of unknown signals which is stored in memories 118 and 124 inthe system 22. When corrective action is taken, the type of devicecausing the rogue transmission can then be manually entered by thetechnician discovering the rogue transmitter into the RANALYZER™ system22. This is then stored with the captured I/Q data and signalcharacteristics in memory 124. This then expands the number of roguetransmitter types known, helping the technician correcting a problem byletting them know what to look for. In Boxes 1 (Step 172) and 2 (Step174) in FIG. 15D the system 22 determines these characteristics.

a. Heuristically Determined Pattern Recognition

-   -   One way the system 22 accomplishes this is in Box 1 (Step 172),        where the system 22 looks for known characteristics of signals        types in a variety of ways, using the I/Q samples captured        previously, or newly acquired I/Q samples, if necessary:        -   The system 22 creates_cyclostationarity metric indicating            the repetitive nature of the received signal, and compares            this to a list of cyclostationarity metrics of known            interference types stored in memories 118 and 124. If a            match is found, this is entered into the Event System            database (q.v.) stored in memories 142, 126 and 130, and            included in the electronic report generated by the system 22            and provided to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.        -   The observed interfering signal may be digitally modulated,            in which case the symbol rate is another indicator of the            type of device to find. The system 22 extracts the symbol            rate from the I/Q data, and compares this to a list of known            symbol rates for a variety of transmitters stored in the            system memories 118 and 124. Any match is included in the            report to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.        -   Digitally modulated signals can have a variety of modulation            formats. The system 22 extracts modulation format            information from the I/Q data, and compares this to a list            of known modulation formats for a variety of transmitters            stored in the system memories 118 and 124. Any match found            by the system 22 is included in the report provided to the            Equipment Monitoring System 38.        -   The observed interfering signal may also be analyzed by the            system 22 by comparing the peak-to-average ratio or a            Distribution Function (DF) of that signal to a list of            peak-to-average ratios or Distribution Functions stored in            memories 118 and 124. Any match is again reported by the            system 22 to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.            -   It should be noted that “Distribution Function” used                herein means the Probability Distribution Function,                Cumulative Distribution Function, Complementary                Cumulative Distribution Function, or any related                function based on a histogram of amplitude values.        -   Ideally, each of these metrics is calculated by the system            22 from I/Q samples with uplink traffic removed. This is            done in a similar way that the system 22 generates the            spectrum with uplink traffic removed (q.v.), except that            instead of creating a spectrum, the I/Q samples are filtered            by the system 22 to remove remaining traffic, and then            analyzed by the digital signal processor 24 or the analytic            computer unit 30 of the system 22.

b. Non-Heuristic Pattern Recognition

-   -   In FIG. 15D, Box 1 a (Step 173), Determine Scenario and load CNN        configuration, the system 22 picks from library 178 of        Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) configurations, based on the        current scenario, which is defined by the frequencies in use        local to the problem RE.    -   In FIG. 15D box 2 (Step 174) Convolutional Neural Network        Pattern Matching, the system 22 attempts to identify known        signals even when specific characteristics have not or cannot be        identified. The system 22 does this by using a convolutional        neural network (CNN) circuit 176 shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 14        that has been created to recognize a variety of signal types.        For more details on this topic, see the section on Convolutional        Neural Network Pattern Recognition herein.

c. Location Estimate

More important than diagnosing the type of rogue transmitter isproviding an estimate of its location so that a human being canprecisely locate it and mitigate it. The detailed methods to locate theemitter are described in the section Interfering Emitter Location; beloware described the steps the system uses to capture data for thesemethods.

Referring to FIG. 15D, Box 3 (Step 180), the system 22 identifies REs 16that are physically nearby the problem RE 16. These can be adjacentsectors or nearby cells. The fundamental concept is to gain as much dataabout the location of the interference source as possible. Once theuseful nearby REs 16 have been identified, the system 22 commands theswitch 26 to connect to the RE-to-REC connection, and observe uplink anddownlink I/Q samples.

In FIG. 15D, Box 4, if a vehicle, either autonomous (such as a drone) ormanned, is available to be dispatched to the site, this is done.

In FIG. 15D, Box 5 (Step 182), the system 22 captures I/Q samples fromall of the related REs 16 found in Box 3 (Step 180).

In FIG. 15D, Box 6 (Step 184), the system 22 verifies that interferenceis present in the problem RE 16 at the moment before trying to locateit. If the answer is no, the interference is probably intermittent, sothe system 22 continues to look for the interference for auser-selectable period of time (FIG. 15D, Box 10, Step 186). If thatperiod of time is not exceeded, the system proceeds to Box 12 (Step 188)to relocate any dispatched vehicle (see FIG. 15D, Box 4, Step 190). Ifthe time has been exceeded, the system 22 proceeds to Box 11 (Step 192),where it then checks if there is any other process that needs systemresources, such as connections to uplink or downlink fibers 20; this canhappen if another alarm has been received or if more than one user isoperating the system. See the section on Multi-user Capability for moredetails about this. If system resources are not needed for otherprocessing, the system 22 again relocates any autonomous vehicle thathas been dispatched from Step 190 (Box 12, Step 188) and continueslooking for the interference, repeating until the user-selectable periodof time passes. However, if the time limit has passed, and systemhardware is needed for other tests, the system 22 stores this in theEvent System database, adds this to a list of measurements to be made(also stored in the Events System database) when resources areavailable, and reports what measurements have been made, as well as theupdated list of measurements to be made, to the Equipment MonitoringSystem 38 (Box 9, Step 194). In any case, when the interference is seenin the original RE 16, as well as when it is not seen, this informationis stored in the Event System database of the system 22. This is becauseit is important to know when interference will be present when a personis hunting for the source of the undesired signal.

In FIG. 15D, Box 7 (Step 196), if the result of the decision in Box 6(Step 184) is that interference is detected in the original RE 16, thesystem 22 then proceeds to Box 7 (Step 196), where UE traffic is removedfrom all observed uplink signals, pursuant to the process and circuitryin the section Getting Uplink Spectrum without UE traffic herein.

In FIG. 15D, Box 8 (Step 198), the location of the source of theundesired signal is estimated by the system 22. The details of thismethod are described in the section Interfering Emitter Location herein.As above, the system then proceeds to Box 9 (Step 194) and reports theresults of the location estimate to the Equipment Monitoring System 38.

8. Extended Analysis of External Interference From Rogue Transmitters

Referring to FIG. 15E, when the result of FIG. 15B, Box 2 (Step 148) isthat no signal was detected, a probable reason is that there is a UEthat is transmitting bad signals (distorted or wrong power level). Thismay be due to the UE itself, or due to an unmanaged repeater (alsocalled a Bi-Directional Amplifier, or BDA). It should be noted that aBDA may oscillate and create its own signal, as shown in Table 4, orthey may just make a normal (or nearly normal) looking signal, but thesignal is too strong and cannot be power-controlled to a low enoughlevel by network commands This is a somewhat rare occurrence, but canhappen when the BDA is close to the network antenna 10. Thiscircumstance can create a high RSSI alarm and it will be detected by theRTWP screen of the False Alarm Screening protocol shown in FIG. 15F anddescribed elsewhere herein.

When all the UE traffic is removed, then the bad signal may also beremoved (or sufficiently removed) that there is nothing (or nothingsufficient) left to detect. The system 22 checks for this by examiningthe spectrum for each UE independently. The specific steps for this are:

-   -   Starting with the original captured I/Q samples, the system 22        first identifies Uplink symbols in time, using circuitry in the        digital signal processor to synchronize to that signal, as shown        in FIG. 15E, Box 1 (Step 200).    -   The UEs that are transmitting for each LTE subframe are        separately identified, like the process used for FIG. 15B, Box 1        (Step 146), and described herein in the section labelled Removal        of UE Traffic to Isolate Interference for Analysis. This is        shown in FIG. 15E, Box 2 (Step 202).    -   In FIG. 15E, Box 3 (Step 204), a set of spectrums for each UE        alone are stored in the Event System database, along with an        identifier for that UE known as the Radio Network Temporary        Identifier (RNTI) which is part of the key used to decrypt the        PDCCH. See the section on Removal of UE Traffic to Isolate        Interference for Analysis for more details about this.    -   The set of spectrums for individual UEs can be displayed on the        display 36 as a spectrogram, and is compared to a stored profile        for expected spectrum and power control behavior, stored in        memories 118 and 124. The results of these comparisons are        stored in the Event System database, associated with the above        data, to allow a user to check on the comparisons that are made        automatically.    -   Determining the expected power control behavior is complex, as        the REC 18 controls both the UE output power to improve battery        life, and the so-called MCS, which is both the modulation format        and how much error-correction information is transmitted by the        UE. Details of how the system 22 does that are listed below.        -   The system 22 extracts the modulation format (QPSK, 16 QAM,            or 64 QAM) of the received signal for each identified UE,            and compares this to the power level received from that UE.            Since the Base Station 12 (REC 18 and RE 16) controls the            mobile phone output power to improve battery life, if there            is a mismatch between these, say QPSK transmission with a            high received power level, it is very likely that the phone            4 is malfunctioning. A table of expected power levels versus            modulation format is stored in the memories 118 and 124 of            the system 22 for this comparison.        -   However, determining the modulation follnat for the received            signal is somewhat problematic, as the signal that the            mobile phone 4 transmits to help the Radio Equipment 16            demodulate the signal, the DMRS or Demodulation Reference            Signal, is highly variable based on a number of parameters            that the Base Station 12 transmits to the mobile phone 4 in            an encrypted fashion.            -   However, there are several things that can be done to                aid the estimation of the modulation format.            -   First, the system 22 obtains significant knowledge of                when the DMRS signal is supposed to be received by                closely examining the downlink (RE 16 to mobile phone 4)                signal. This also provides timing signals for reference,                and these can be used to locate the DMRS signal in time.                While it may not be possible to get the DMRS signal in                phase, since the parameters used to create the DMRS are                not known, a good estimate of the DMRS amplitude can be                determined by the system 22. If the system 22 examines                the received signal amplitude nearby the DMRS, an                amplitude comparison can give the system 22 a good clue                about the modulation format being used. A Costas loop                used by the system 22 can also add in signal timing and                phase recovery.            -   By the system 22 decrypting the PDCCH signal (see the                section on Receiver Functions for more about this), it                is also possible to find sets of adjacent frequencies                that will use the same modulation format. This provides                a larger set of data for estimation, which improves the                quality of that estimation. Such steps may be performed                by the system 22 of the present invention.    -   In FIG. 15E, Box 4 (Step 206), a summary list of all UEs that do        not meet the defined criteria for UE transmissions is stored in        the Event System database, with references to the set of        spectrum data stored for each UE.    -   To estimate the position of the UE, several steps are taken by        the system 22:        -   The so-called Timing Advance commands from the downlink to            that UE is extracted by the digital signal processor 24 from            downlink I/Q samples. This gives the system 22 a useful            estimate of the position of the UE or BDA, at least in terms            of approximate distance from the RE antenna 10. A histogram            of these timing estimates over a short period of time            (several seconds) is then created by the system 22 and            stored in memory 118 as the timing may vary somewhat. This            process performed by the system 22 is shown in FIG. 15E, Box            5 (Step 208).        -   Because of multipath, the path length from a UE to an RE 16            may appear to change over time, even if the UE does not            move. What is most useful is the shortest path, which may            not be the largest amplitude. An equalizer (not shown) may            be used and form part of the RANALYZER™ system 22 of the            present invention to find the shortest path length. A            histogram of timing for the shortest versus the largest            received signal may also be helpful for finding the impact            of multipath on the path delay. If the largest response in            the equalizer is not the same as the shortest path, this can            for example be because the UE is shielded from the RE, such            as by a building, but there is a large reflector that sends            a large signal from the UE to the RE. By examining the            equalizer response, and determining that there is a large            component indicating a shorter path than the largest            component, the distance to the UE may be shortened from the            value obtained by the timing advance command.        -   It should be noted that uplink traffic for a UE may be over            a much smaller bandwidth than the entire LTE channel            bandwidth, which reduces the usefulness of this measurement,            as narrower bandwidths create larger uncertainty in the            timing measurements based on the equalizer. However, the            RANALYZER™ system 22 can observe the timing advance and            transmission bandwidth for a long time, and on occasion            where the UE transmits over a large bandwidth, and is            relatively fixed in location, sufficient timing information            may be obtained.        -   More details about the equalizer that the RANALYZER™ system            22 uses for this function are found in the section about the            Digital Signal Processor.        -   In FIG. 15E, Box 6 (Step 210), the UE position is estimated            by the system 22 using the multiple receiver analysis like            FIG. 15D, Boxes 3 through 8 (Steps 180, 190, 182, 184, 196,            and 198 respectively), but focused on the received signal            from the identified UE.        -   If available, the system 22 dispatches a vehicle, preferably            in the general area determined by other location estimation            methods listed herein to provide further position            information, as shown in FIG. 15E, Box 7 (Step 212). See the            section Using Vehicle-mounted Receivers to Enhance Position            Estimation for further details on this.        -   The value for the timing advance command is recorded in the            Event System database by the system 22, and added to the            electronic report to the Equipment Monitoring System 38, as            shown in FIG. 15E, Box 8 (Step 214).

9. False Alarm Screening

If the results of the test performed by the system 22 in FIG. 15A, Box 5(Step 140) is that no RFX event has been detected, then it is likelythat the problem signal is intermittent, or there is a false

Intermittent problems and false alarms are a significant problem indiagnosing problems in the RAN 6. PIM is often intermittent. In onecase, the non-linear junction that is causing the PIM may be made tocontact or separate, depending on the temperature or wind conditions.Monitoring the signal by the system 22 from the RE 16 over hours or dayswill make this obvious, especially using the information recorded in theEvent System database of the RANALYZER™ system 22; see the section onEvents System for more details about this. External interference mayalso be intermittent, or even mobile. Being able to monitor when theinterference happens can give clues to its source, such as a wirelessmicrophone used in church services. This can also give clues to findinga mobile interferer, by determining times and location when and where itis stationary. Such is performed by the system 22 of the presentinvention.

In this circumstance, the RANALYZER™ system 22 continuously monitors thesignal and performs the following actions, as shown in FIG. 15F:

-   -   a. In FIG. 15F, Box 1 (Step 216), the system 22 monitors all RFX        data stored in memory 118, including spectrum and other data, at        user configurable rates, for all needed MIMO antenna branches        including:        -   i. Uplink Spectrum traces, including maximum hold (for a            configurable time), minimum hold, and plain traces.        -   ii. User-configurable uplink spectrum percentile traces.        -   iii. A 3D histogram of the uplink spectrum analyzer traces            generated by the system 22. See the section on Signal            Displays for more detail about three-dimensional histograms.            This can be used for creating by the system 22 a            color-graded spectrum display shown on display 36, the            percentile traces mentioned elsewhere herein, or for other            analysis.        -   iv. The NACK/ACK ratio, extracted by the digital signal            processor 24 from the downlink I/Q data. See the section on            Combining Spectrum Analysis and Receiver Functions for more            details about this.        -   v. The Received Total Wideband Power (RTWP). See the section            on Signal Displays for more information about this.    -   b. This process carried out by the system 22 continues until at        least one entire alarm reporting period (such as 15 minutes) has        been captured.    -   c. In FIG. 15F, Box 2 (Step 218), while monitoring this RFX        data, the system 22 makes the following comparisons to        references stored in memories 118 and 124        -   i. If a (user-configurable) high amount of NACKs (compared            to the number of ACKs in the same time window) occur, then            an entry is made by the system 22 in the event log, and the            I/Q data from in memories 114, 116 and 118 associated with            the timeframe of the high NACK count is saved in memories            118 for further analysis.        -   ii. If a (user-configurable) difference in RTWP is detected            by the system 22 that lasts for a (user-configurable) amount            of time, then:            -   1. This is recorded by the system 22 in the Event System                database.            -   2. The uplink and downlink I/Q data from the memories                114, 116, and 118 associated with the timeframe of the                RTWP delta is saved by the system 22 into the Event                System database for further analysis.            -   3. The latest (user-configurable) 3D histograms are                saved by the system 22 into the Event System database                for further analysis.            -   4. The latest (user-configurable) spectrum traces are                saved into the Event System database for further                analysis.        -   iii. If a (user-configurable) level of RTWP stored in            memories 118 and 124 is exceeded for a (user-configurable)            amount of time (also stored in memories 118 and 124), then            similar data to the case for difference in RTWP is saved by            the system 22 into the Event System database. The data save            is that associated with the timeframe of the stored RTWP            level threshold being exceeded. Once again, this storage            allows further analysis.        -   iv. The spectrum is compared by the system 22 to a stored            profile of acceptable uplink spectrum, stored in memories            118 and 124. This stored profile has both a limit of            amplitude versus frequency, and a duration that that limit            must be exceeded. If the received spectrum exceeds this            stored profile, then similar data to the case for difference            in RTWP is saved by the system 22 into the Event System            database. This time the spectrum data associated with the            timeframe of the spectrum exceeding the amplitude versus            frequency limit is what's saved for further analysis.        -   v. If any one of these happens, the system 22 proceeds to            Box 3 (Step 220), thence to FIG. 15A, Box 6 (Step 142),            where the detected signal is then classified and located.    -   d. In FIG. 15F, Box 2 (Step 218), if none of the above RFX data        exceeds the stored limits, the system 22 progresses to Box 4        (Step 222). If an additional alarm or indicators are received by        the system 22, with none of the above indications of        interference found, this is declared by the system 22 as a False        Alarm in Box 5 (Step 224), and is reported to the Equipment        Monitoring System 38 in Box 10 (Step 226). This condition means        that it is highly likely that the Equipment Monitoring System 38        is sending false alarms. It is extremely important to identify        false alarms because trying to fix a problem that does not exist        is an expensive waste of time and money.        -   If the RANALYZER™ system 22 resources are not required for            other diagnosis activity, as shown in FIG. 15F, Box 6 (Step            228), then the system 22 may spend additional time            monitoring the RFX data to more definitively determine if a            false alarm was transmitted by the network equipment            monitoring system 38. But, if the resources of the system 22            are needed for diagnosing other problems, then the system 22            sends a report or displays a message on the display 36 to            the technician or operator of the system 22 that no “false            alarm” or other diagnosis is made by the system, as shown in            FIG. 15F, Box 7 (Step 230).    -   e. In FIG. 15F, Box 8 (Step 232), the system 22 decides if a        user-configurable time limit memories 118 and 124 has been        exceeded, with no additional alarms or matches to stored        patterns. If so, the system 22 declares that the original alarm        is an Isolated Event False Alarm in FIG. 15F, Box 9 (Step 233),        and such is reported to the Equipment Monitoring System 38 in        Box 10 (Step 226).

10. Automatic Tests During the Maintenance Window

If PIM is suspected, a definitive test performed by the system 22 can bescheduled during a maintenance window. By effectively disconnecting thebase station 12 from the network 2 (after making sure no emergency calls(e.g. 911) are in progress), a test signal can be requested by thesystem 22 from the network 2. This signal is often called “OCNS”, but issimply a high-power test signal that can be turned on and off. If thereis no traffic, while the transmit power is low there should be noindication of PIM. If transmit power is high, which the OCNS signal willcause, the PIM level should be high. If these conditions are met, thereis very high confidence that PIM is present. This procedure isundertaken by the system 22. Additional processing by the system 22 canhelp determine if the PIM is internal or external, as mentionedelsewhere herein.

In addition, these tests may be periodically scheduled by the system 22even if PIM is not suspected at a site. This would allow tracking thelevels of PIM, which in many cases degrades over time. This isespecially true in locations near the ocean, where salt water spray cancause significant corrosion. As the PIM level degrades, maintenance ofthe antenna or cable system can be scheduled at a convenient time,before the PIM starts to affect the capability of the base station 12 toconnect and maintain calls and transfer data at optimum rates.

V) Convolutional Neural Network Pattern Recognition

To classify interference sources not readily classifiable usingconventional DSP algorithms, such as ones designed by humans based onheuristics provided by human experts in the problem domain, theRANALYZER™ system 22 uses machine learning techniques, includingartificial neural networks.

The interference source classification problem is related to themodulation classification problem, to which neural nets have beenapplied by others, including:

-   -   Biologically Inspired Radio Signal Feature Extraction with        Sparse Denoising Autoencoders, Benjamin Migliori, Riley        Zeller-Townson, Daniel Grady, Daniel Gebhardt,        arXiv:1605.05239v1[ stat.ML] 17 May 2016. This takes advantage        of sparsity, as is done in “compressed sensing”.    -   Convolutional Radio Modulation Recognition Networks, Timothy J.        O'Shea, Johnathan Corgan, T. Charles Clancy, arXiv:1602.04105v3        [cs.LG] 10 Jun. 2016. This applies Convolutional Neural Networks        (CNNs), a “deep learning” approach.

The RANALYZER™ system 22 utilizes these and exploits the LTE framestructure to enable real-time processing within economical resourcelimits, as shown in FIG. 14.

The RANALYZER™ system 22 applies Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) invarious ways, including:

-   -   In the pure time domain (on windowed streams of I and Q        samples), from block 400 in FIG. 14.    -   In the pure frequency domain (on FFT outputs, whether        represented as complex spectrum samples, log magnitude or        histograms thereof). These come from the Spectrum Trace        Processing block 424 and the 3D histogram 422.    -   In the joint time-frequency domain (on the LTE resource grid),        from the Spectrum Trace Processing block 424, when the Spectrums        from the Spectrum Trace Creation Block 420 is set to use the        data from the Downlink Receiver Processing block 406 to align        the spectrums to the LTE resource grid.    -   All of these could be live data, or stored data either        internally in the I/Q Data Recording block 418, the Spectrum        Recording block 426, or from the Analytic Computer Unit 30.

These input data from blocks 400, 422 and 424, or alternatively from theAnalytic Computer Unit 30 are each fanned out into multiple CONV* layers432. Each CONV* layer 432 includes a number of sub-layers, of typeconvolution, nonlinear activation (“ReLU”), and down-sampling or pooling(“POOL”). The exact number of each of these sub-layers and theirinterconnection is stored in the CNN library 178, and loaded into theCNN 176 in the Digital Signal Processor 24 based on the current scenario(see block 1 a, Step 173, and the text related thereto for more detailsabout scenarios).

The outputs from each set of CONV* blocks 432 is then fanned in torespective FC* layers 436, one each for complex I/Q samples from block414, Spectrum Traces or 3D histograms from block 424, or spectrums ofLTE symbols from also block 424. Each FC* layer contains a sequence ofFully-Connected layers, the number of which and the dimensions of whichare stored in the CNN library 178 and loaded into the CNN 176 based onthe current scenario.

The outputs of the respective FC* layers are then feed into respectiveClass Ranking blocks, 438 for LTE symbols, 440 for spectrum traces or 3Dhistograms, or 442 for complex I and Q samples. The Class Ranking blockseach identify several likely emitters or other problem sources, alongwith confidence metrics.

The outputs of the Class Ranking blocks 438, 440, and 442 are combinedin the Decision Logic block 444, which combines the likely emitterestimates and confidence metrics, along with weighting factors suppliedfrom the CNN Library 178 to arrive at a final set of likely emitterestimates along with confidence metrics. These are then sent to theAnalytic Computer Unit 30 for storage in the Event System (q.v.)database and therefore archiving in memories 122, 124, 126, or 130;display to the user on Display 36; and report generation to theEquipment Monitoring System 38.

With this circuitry, the RANALYZER™ system 22 is able to performprocessing on both wide and narrow spans (in time and/or frequency),with both fine and coarse resolutions (also in time and/or frequency).

While one dimensional (1-D, i.e. pure time domain or pure frequencydomain) data, across a narrow span, with coarse resolution, can feasiblybe processed in real time by software on a general-purpose processor,this will rarely be adequate to classify sources of interference notreadily classifiable using conventional algorithms.

Moving to 2-D (joint time-frequency) data, wide spans (e.g. an entireLTE frame) and/or fine resolutions (e.g. the LTE subcarrier width of 15kHz, or less) requires hardware acceleration, for which the RANALYZER™system 22 uses the Digital Signal Processor 24.

It should be noted that CNNs are structured in “layers” of arbitrarydimensionality. The greatest processing load is presented by theconvolutional (“CONV”) sub-layers and the fully connected (“FC”)sub-layers. The CONV layer processing occurs nearer the CNN inputs andis well structured, thus naturally amenable to implementation in theDigital Signal Processor 24 that provide those inputs. The nonlinearactivation (“ReLU”) and down-sampling (or pooling, “POOL”) layers aremuch simpler in comparison, and are also included in the Digital SignalProcessor 24 to allow easy interconnection with the FC* layers 436.

By selecting CONV filter kernel widths and so-called strides based onthe LTE frame structure (e.g. frequency kernel width of 12 LTEsubcarriers, and stride of half the filter width for 50% filteroverlap), the CONV, ReLU and POOL layers are all easily included in theDigital Signal Processor 24.

The data reduction thus achieved reduces the size of the FC layersrequired, enabling them to be implemented either in the Digital SignalProcessor 28, or in in the Analytic Computer Unit 30. FIG. 14 showsthese in the CNN block 176, however moving these to the AnalyticComputer Unit 30 does not affect the overall scope of the presentinvention. TheClass Ranking blocks 438, 440, and 442, as well as theDecision Logic block 444 also may easily be implemented in the AnalyticComputer Unit 30, again with no impact on the overall scope of thepresent invention.

Due to the large number of emitter types, a library 178 of neuralnetwork connections and other parameters is used for differentscenarios. This reduces the required complexity of the CNN, as there maybe hundreds of different emitter types, and a simple pre-classification,such as based on the frequency band of the RE can easily reduce thenumber of possible emitters that could be causing the interference, thusgreatly simplifying the CNN needed for each scenario.

The data from the unknown signal is fed to the neural network 176, alongwith a selected entry from the library of neural network 178 connectionsto use, based on the current scenario. The CNN then indicates the bestestimate of what type of emitter is causing the problem, from the onesthat it has been trained on for that scenario. The CNN also provides aconfidence metric for the most likely emitter, as well as other possibleemitter types with sufficiently large confidence.

The library 178 is created outside the RANALYZER™ system 22 by applyingthe captured complex I and Q samples to a neural network circuit 176that is set to learn that signal type. The more complex I and Q samplesfrom similar types of rogue transmitters that are available, the betterthis neural network circuit 176 will be at recognizing that signal type.Since various RANALYZER™ system 22 installations are connected via aPrivate Internet Protocol Network 34, they can potentially monitorhundreds of thousands of receivers, a large set of captured I/Q samplesis available for this learning function. This learning processes thenupdates the library 178 in the various RANALYZER™ system 22 units.

It should be noted that the system 22 provides data to the CNN in avariety of forms, including complex I and Q samples, complex outputs ofan FFT performed on those samples, the log of the magnitude of the FFToutputs, cepstrums (the inverse FFT of the log of the FFT of the complexI and Q samples), and complex LTE symbols. The Digital Signal Process 24has sufficient capability for creating all of these data forms.

One of the data forms the system 22 provides to the CNN is a 3Dhistogram of the spectrum traces. Real-time spectrum analyzer displaysshow a color-coded spectrum display, based on a histogram of the numberof observances at each power level across the frequency range. This formof spectrum analysis which is perfonned by the system 22 enables usersto see lower-power signals in the presence of bursty, higher-powersignals. This form of analysis is ideal for detecting interference inthe presence of LTE UE traffic because LTE UE traffic occurs in burstsof energy (relative to human perception). Such analysis is performed bythe system 22 of the present invention. See the sub-section onPercentile Traces in Signal Displays section for more details aboutthis.

Real-time spectrum analyzers color-code the vertical power histogramsfor human perception. The system 22 of the present invention uses thehistogram data directly, by feeding this information into apattern-matching neural network 176. Again, the neural-network circuit176 is trained based on previously captured 3D histogram data, fromknown interference types stored in memories 124, 128, 126 or 130. In anycase, the library 178 of neural-network circuits 176 is made availableto all RANALYZER™ systems 22 connected in a network and exchanginginformation and data, so that an interference type can be recognizedanywhere in that network.

W) Event System—Keeping Track of When Important Things Happen

The RANALYZER™ system 22 does not just show the spectrum and identifysignals—it also keeps track of when various things happen (calledEvents), and stores these in a database. This database is distributedamong the local system 22 on disk 124 and other RANALYZER™ systems 22 ondisks 126, as well as central storage 130. A wide variety of informationis stored, and a facility is provided to filter and sort the data tofind what's helpful for any condition. A wide variety of events aredetected by the system 22, including:

-   -   1. Identification of where the data came from, including the LTE        cellIdentity, LTE PCI, and physical address of the RE.    -   2. The date & time the data was acquired.    -   3. What other data was acquired at exactly the same date and        time. This is used for emitter location.    -   4. I/Q samples, from both the uplink and downlink directions.        These are often the same I/Q samples used to make the spectrum        and other data below, so further analysis can be done to find        additional detail.    -   5. Spectrum data, derived from the uplink I/Q samples. This may        be the full spectrum, part of the spectrum, spectrum with UE        traffic removed, or spectrums from individual UEs.    -   6. PIM Identification, as described elsewhere herein.    -   7. Interference Identification, as described elsewhere herein.    -   8. RTWP data, as described elsewhere herein.    -   9. Diversity Imbalance; which is when the ARTWP is greater than        a set threshold.    -   10. False alarm diagnoses, as described elsewhere herein.    -   11. ADC overload. The Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) in the        base station receiver works over a wide range of signal levels.        However, in some extreme conditions, such as the entrance to a        stadium when potentially thousands of people are using their        cell phones 4 at once, the total input signal power may exceed        the design maximum for that ADC. In this case, the instantaneous        signal level is no longer known, and the amplitudes of the I and        Q signals are distorted.

This has two effects—it both makes the spectrum somewhat meaningless atthat point in time, but it also is useful to indicate that the overallsignal level is much higher than expected.

While most ADCs provide a direct indication of this overload, this isnot carried by the CPRI interface. As such, it is necessary to estimatewhen this has happened by examining the I and Q signals, as well as thespectrum computed from them. When the power of the combined I and Qsignal (I²+Q²) is at or very near the maximum possible value, this is astrong clue. If, in addition, the spectrum computed from the I and Qsignals is much wider than normal, this is an even stronger indication.Such steps are performed by the system 22 of the present invention.

-   -   12. Spectrum Limits exceeded. Similar to a Spectrum Analyzer,        the user of the system 22 can set up a Limit Line for the        spectrum on the display 36—a set of amplitude points versus        frequency. If the computed spectrum is higher than any of these        points, that infoiination is stored in the Event System        database.    -   13. Trouble reports from the mobile telephone network 2,        including excessive RSSI and Diversity Imbalance, as described        elsewhere herein as Alarms and Indicators.    -   14. Excess NACK/ACK ratio for of uplink transmissions, as        described elsewhere herein.

In addition to simply detecting these events, further processingperformed by the system 22 of the present invention can greatly increasethe usefulness of the information. Useful processing performed by thesystem 22 includes:

-   -   1. How long the event happens. For example, the spectrum may        exceed a limit line for ten (10) seconds.    -   2. How many times similar events have happened. For example, the        spectrum may exceed a limit line for at least one second 100        times in the last 24 hours, with the longest time being ten (10)        seconds.    -   3. Confidence factor in the diagnosis of the event based on        screening criteria and correlation of observances to the natural        laws of physics.    -   4. Automatically storing in the database, the spectrum when the        event happens, as well as the spectrum shortly before and after        the event. This allows further examination of the spectrum        during the event, which can provide insight into the problem.    -   5. Automatically storing the I/Q data in the database, to allow        more detailed examination of the signal during an event, as        mentioned above.    -   6. When the system 22 is storing traces and I/Q data related to        an event, there is some complexity about where the data is        stored, especially as one wants to see the spectrum or otherwise        examine the signal before the event is detected. As such, it is        important to recognize where these data need to be stored:        -   a. High-speed RAM 114, 116 and 118 in the RANALYZER™ system            22 can be used to temporarily store traces and I/Q data            while events are being detected. Large amounts of this RAM,            especially 118, allow recording the traces and I/Q data for            many seconds before and after the event.        -   b. A small but fast Solid-State Drive (SSD) 122 is used in            the system 22 to quickly archive traces and I/Q data,            freeing up the high-speed RAM 118 to record additional            events.        -   c. A large hard drive 122 forming part of the system 22 can            then be used to archive events, as the SSD memory 122 fills            up.        -   d. The system 22 has a network connection 34, which also            provides the capability to use large external disks 126, 130            for further archiving capability.

X) Report Generation

While simply identifying problems is very useful, for an organization toeffectively deal with, and ultimately fix, those problems, some kind ofreport needs to be created. To speed this process, the RANALYZER™ systemhas several mechanisms for automatically creating reports and usefulparts of reports:

-   -   1. The most common part of a report is simply a picture of the        measurement screens, which may be printed by a printer 37 or        displayed on a display 36.    -   2. When events are dynamic, seeing how the spectrum varies with        time is helpful. As such, the RANALYZER™ system 22 has various        tools for defining the start and end times for when a video        should be made, as well as one-button method for creating the        video, which may be displayed on the display 36, or exported in        a standard format such as MP4 for use on various computers. The        system tools for define the start and end times include:        -   a. Clicking on the RTWP vs. time graph.        -   b. Going to the beginning or end of an event.        -   c. Going to the next or previous events in time.        -   d. Going to the next or previous spectrum (or sets of            spectrums) in time.    -   3. A standardized report, printed or displayed, that includes        the type of event, how long it occurred, information about how        often it is occurring, and a screenshot. This may be all that is        required for submitting a report to start further action in the        organization.

Y) Multi-User Capability

The RANALYZER™ system 22 also allows multiple people to do thesefunctions—observing both live and stored spectrums, spectrograms, andRTWP versus time and difference in RTWP versus time graphs. Other datarecorded in the Events System database at the same time can also beobserved, as well as recreating spectrums from stored I/Q data foradditional analysis. This is because a C-RAN location may have hundredsof base station connections at one place, and multiple problems may beoccurring at the same time.

The system 22 may also being doing an automatic diagnosis at the sametime a user is looking at the spectrum (e.g.) from different REs. Inthis case, the automatic operation of the system can be considered a“user”, even though no human is involved, since the automatic operationalso consumes system resources such as connections to REs.

Z) Distance to PIM

It is helpful to have an estimated location for the junction causing theobserved PIM, as this aids finding it and fixing it. There is awell-known method for distance-to-PIM (DTP), which can also be appliedin the case where there are REC-to-RE connections. However, this methodhas a significant limitation in this environment, in that there is verylittle bandwidth available leading to insufficient resolution for theposition estimate.

1. Super-Resolution Distance-to-PIM

A problem with distance-to-PIM (DTP) measurements using the RE-to-RECconnection using the conventional method is that with the typical RFbandwidth available in remote radio heads, e.g. 10 or 20 MHz, thedistance resolution available is very limited. A simple estimate of thisresolution is 1/RF bandwidth, or 50 to 100 feet for 20 MHz or 10 MHzbandwidths, respectively. Somewhat better resolution may be availablevia interpolation or other means of extracting slightly betterinformation from the same method, but to get to the desired resolutionof one foot or less, something better is needed.

There are other methods which may be performed by the system 22 toestimate time delay that do not rely on bandwidth. For example, countingthe periods of a well-known frequency can give a very precisemeasurement of time delay, while requiring essentially no bandwidth atall. A modern implementation of this measures the phase of I/Q vectorsover time, leading to much better resolution than one period of thefrequency being used.

To apply this method to a DTP measurement in an REC-to-RE environmentrequires several elements:

-   -   a. A multi-tone CW test signal. To generate PIM products        requires at least two tones, and PIM testers to date all have        used exactly two tones. For the present invention, three tones        are optimally used by the system 22, as will become apparent        shortly.        -   It should be noted that the use of such a test signal by the            system 22 also causes the base station 12 to be            out-of-service, so again this is best done during a            maintenance window.    -   b. A way to measure the phase of the transmitted (downlink) and        received (uplink) signals. This is easily performed by the        system 22, as I/Q vectors contain this phase information. For        example, the system 22 taking the arctangent of an I/Q vector        for a CW signal provides the phase. This phase information can        be used by the system 22 to find the precise distance to the PIM        source, by translating the phase into time, and then applying        the velocity-of-propagation for the medium being used.    -   c. However, there is another problem that needs to be solved.        The transmission of I/Q vectors between the REC 18 and the RE 16        is at “baseband” frequencies. These are upconverted to the        assigned RF frequency in the RE 16 for transmission, and        downconverted in the RE 16 from the received signal over the        air. This is done through one or more local oscillators in the        RE 16.        -   Unfortunately, the phase of the local oscillators in the RE            16 affects the phase of the transmitted and received signal.        -   The use of three test tones of the proper frequencies by the            system 22 of the present invention allows two different PIM            products to appear in the receive (uplink) frequency band;            these are called in-band PIM products. This provides a way            to eliminate the effect of the RE local oscillator phase on            the DTP measurement. By the system 22 looking at the phase            difference between the two in-band PIM products, the phase            of the RE local oscillators is common, and therefore            removed. The phase difference may be obtained by the system            22 in a variety of ways, including mixing them together or            using a complex Fourier transform to extract the phase of            each frequency independently.        -   This method performed by the system 22 allows the DTP            resolution to be based not on the bandwidth, but on the            ability to measure phase. This is limited by the            signal-to-noise ratio of the received signals, which can be            made large by using vary narrow bandwidth filters—the            narrower the bandwidth, the lower the noise. The fundamental            limitation of this technique then is how narrow a bandwidth            can be used. This will be limited by how much time is            available (e.g. the duration of a maintenance window), as            well as the frequency variation (also known as phase noise)            of the transmitted signals and the receiver's local            oscillator.

AA) Interfering Emitter Location

There are three well-known methods of estimating the location of anemitter, mentioned elsewhere herein. These can be calledangle-of-arrival, power-of-arrival, and time-difference-of-arrival. Thesystem 22 of the present invention uses one or more of these techniquesin combination to arrive at a position estimate.

These techniques each have significant limitations, including:

-   -   A) Angle-of-arrival is imprecise, given the wide beamwidth of        cellular antennas 10. These are typically 120°. While somewhat        better angular resolution is possible than this, such as        comparing the relative amplitude of antennas 10 pointed in        different directions or pattern-matching received amplitudes to        the antenna patterns, a precise angle is often not possible.        Even without a precise angle, however, this method practiced by        the system 22 can help refine a position estimate, in        combination with other techniques.    -   B) The multipath environment makes power-of-arrival problematic,        as the power level can vary substantially over time, and be        quite different than what would be expected from a free-space        calculation.        -   Two refinements in the system 22 of the present invention            that can help with power-of-arrival estimates are:            -   a. Averaging measured power over a short period of time.                Multipath can make the received power vary quite                quickly, and averaging performed by the system 22 can                help remove this variation—as long as the emitter has                not moved very far during the average. In the worst                case, the emitter might be in a vehicle travelling                around 100 feet per second, so averaging over a time                much less than a second would sufficiently reduce the                position variation due to movement.            -   b. Using multiple receive antennas 10. Multipath will be                different to different receive antennas 10, so a                well-known technique for radio reception which is used                by the system 22 of the present invention is to use                multiple receive antennas 10, along with various methods                of combing the signal from each. This same technique can                reduce the effects of multipath on emitter position                estimates.    -   C) The time-difference-of-arrival method performed by the        RANALYZER™ system 22 is perhaps the most precise of the three        position-estimate techniques in the REC-to-RE connection        environment. However, it has a similar problem as DTP        measurements—calibrating out the length of the fiber.        Fortunately, many mobile network systems have this distance        calibrated already, for use by the emergency call (e.g. “911” in        the U.S.) system.        -   For systems that don't have these distances calibrated, the            system 22 attempts to perform its own calibration. As            mentioned in the section on distance-to-PIM measurements,            this can be done by putting a high-PIM device at the antenna            face, but this is quite inconvenient. The system 22 of the            present invention uses any PIM source that is naturally            present in the RF system (of sufficient amplitude) to            estimate the length of the fiber. This is done by:            -   a. Using the known physical location of at least three                different transmit and receive antennas 10. These                antennas 10 may combine transmit and receive functions,                or may be separate.            -   b. Having some measurable PIM source available. The                location of the PIM source does not matter, but it has                to be large enough to be seen by all receive antennas                10, and has to be dominant—sufficiently larger than                other PIM sources ( 10 dB is currently deemed to be                sufficient).                -   The PIM source may be common to all receive antennas                    10, or may be separate. Separate sources may be                    optimal to obtaining a better signal-to-noise ratio                    at each receiver, but this is not strictly                    necessary.                -   It should be noted that, as in the DTP measurement,                    the Signal-to-Noise (SNR) ratio is important for                    making a good measurement, but by the system 22                    using CW tones as a test signal, the SNR can be made                    large by using narrow receive bandwidth.            -   c. The test signal from each transmitter would be the                three-tone signal for DTP measurements, but would                generate PIM products at slightly different frequencies                or times, to allow separating them. In the system 22 of                the present invention, different times are used, so that                the same frequencies can be used, ensuring that the                channel conditions are the same for each measurement. It                should be noted that variable multipath can change the                channel conditions over time, but that averaging or                simply looking for the shortest path delay can reduce                this effect, as is performed by the system 22.            -   d. For the three-antenna case, we now have as many as                six unknowns—the distances from the RANALYZER™ system 22                to the antennas 10, and the locations of up to three PIM                sources. The system 22 also has up to nine measurements                it can make for the three-antenna case, as well as the                physical distances between antennas 10. Additionally,                the measurements are sufficiently different to allow the                use by the system 22 of algebra to solve for the                locations of both the PIM sources as well as the                distances to the antennas 10.                -   It should be noted that this may not be possible                    with just two antennas 10, as while there can be                    what appear to be sufficient measurements, they may                    not be different enough to allow calculating the                    solution.

BB) Details About MIMO Branch Comparator

As explained above, the RANALYZER™ system 22 uses the Digital SignalProcessor 24 to digitally create signals that simulate internal andexternal PIM products. The system then compares these simulated signalsto the received signals to determine with high confidence if the PIM isinternal or external. The detailed steps to accomplish this are:

-   -   1. First, the system 22 determines what transmitted frequencies        could combine to cause PIM in an uplink channel. Given that the        frequencies and bandwidths for both transmission and reception        are known, the system 22 calculates the frequencies bandwidths        of intermodulation and harmonics of various intermodulation        orders up to a predeteiiiiined limit, preferably 11^(th) order.        These intermodulation products can come from any co-located        transmitter, or combinations of different transmitters.        -   It should be noted that “intermodulation order” refers to            combinations of integers used in the calculation. For            example, the 5^(th) order products of two sinewaves at            frequencies F1 and F2 happen at frequencies 3F1-2F2 and            3F2-2F1. The fact that the 3 and 2 from those formulas add            up to 5 means that these are 5^(th) order intermodulation            products.        -   It should also be noted that the modulation on different            transmitters can be thought of as a plethora of frequencies            across the modulation bandwidth. Thus, a single modulated            carrier can intermodulated with itself. Also, the bandwidth            of the intermodulation products of various orders is based            on the modulation bandwidth of each contributing transmitted            signal, as well as the intermodulation order.    -   2. Next, the system 22 creates a simulated PIM product for each        combination of transmitted signals that it has determined above        might be a cause of PIM products within the receive bandwidth of        the problem uplink. There is very commonly only one combination        of transmitted signals that can cause PIM, within a reasonable        range of intermodulation orders, simplifying this process.        Occasionally there is more than one combination that can cause        PIM, but almost always they are of different orders. Since the        amplitude of intermodulation products is a strong inverse        function of order (i.e. higher order products are much lower in        amplitude), only the lowest order products generally need to be        considered. The details of creating these simulated PIM products        are:        -   a. For the case where a single transmitted signal is            intermodulated with itself, the sample rate of the I & Q            samples is increased by interpolation to be sufficient to            create products that are at the offset frequency between            uplink and downlink. For example, with a 10 MHz LTE channel,            the complex sample rate is 15.36 MHz, but an example offset            between uplink and downlink LTE signals is 31 MHz. Because            of the Nyquist criteria, a complex sample rate of 15.36 MHz            cannot show frequency offsets greater than 15.36/2=7.68 MHz.            So, the complex sample rate must be increased to at least 72            MHz. This value comes from the frequency offset, plus ½ of            the bandwidth of the uplink signal, all times two.            -   Interpolation by an integer factor is the simplest way                to do this, and facilitates the later reduction in                sample rate in a later step. So, the smallest integer                greater than the minimum is chosen for this                interpolation factor.            -   It should be noted that higher-order intermodulation                products are generally much lower in amplitude than                lower order products, and can almost always be ignored.        -   b. For the case where two transmitted signals are            intermodulated with each other, the complex sample rate of            each signal must be increased to be able to show the            intermodulation products. This can be done similarly as for            the single transmitted signal case above, but this processed            can be simplified since the system 22 has calculated the            intermodulation order that would cause a PIM signal in the            problem uplink RF signal. So, instead of combining the            transmitted signals at the relative frequencies used by the            actual transmitters, they can be combined at a much smaller            frequency offset—just large enough that the modulation from            the signals doesn't overlap in frequency. The complex sample            rate then must be increased only enough that the modulation            order of interest is not aliased, per the Nyquist criteria.            The signals are then offset by the frequency determined            above—one moved down in frequency by half of that value, and            the other moved up by the same amount. This frequency shift            is done by multiplying the complex I and Q samples by a            complex sine (or cosine) wave at the appropriate positive or            negative frequency.            -   It should be noted that “negative frequency”, while                nonexistent in the real world, is a very reasonable                concept in digital signal processing, by using complex                numbers to represent sine and cosine waves.        -   c. Once the complex sample rate has been increased            sufficiently, and if there are multiple transmitters from            step b the signals are combined to create a new set of            complex I and Q samples, the intermodulation products are            created by simulating a mixing process. Ideal mixing can be            done on digital samples by squaring the complex I & Q            samples together, which is the same as multiplying the            signal by itself. However, this would be too good—none of            the needed higher-order intermodulation products would be            generated. Thus, the mixing must use a better model of how            PIM is created. This may be done either by multiplying the            combined complex I and Q samples by a nonlinear (e.g.            exponential) transfer function, but that process is complex.            Instead, the Digital Signal Processor 24 multiplies the            signal by itself n−1 times, where n is the needed modulation            order.        -   d. The resulting distorted signal contains the needed PIM            products, as well as many others. The complex I and Q            samples that describe this signal are shifted in frequency,            using the same process as mentioned in step b above, so that            the frequency at the center of the needed intermodulation            product (on the same sideband, upper or lower, as the actual            PIM product would be) is at zero frequency. The resulting            complex I and Q samples are then filtered to have the same            bandwidth as the uplink signal received from the RE. This            gives an emulated PIM product that describes well what            actually would be received by an RE.    -   3. The same digital mixing process as described above is used        for each MIMO antenna branch, as well as combinations of the        MIMO branches. The resulting reference waveforms (not power        spectrums), which are stored in memory 116 in the digital signal        processor 24, are compared to the actual waveforms received.    -   4. If the received waveforms have a good match to the signals        transmitted from just one MIMO branch (either from one or        several transmitters), this is an indication of internal PIM        with high confidence as shown in FIG. 15C, Box 2 (Step 158).        Details about this comparison are listed below in the section on        MIMO Branch Comparison Details about PIM Location.        -   This information is then stored in the Events System            database (q.v.), and the system 22 proceeds as shown in FIG.            15C, Box 4 (Step 160), to schedule a distance to PIM            measurement. Knowing where internal PIM is located is            helpful to know what to fix.    -   5. If the match is high between the digital mixing products for        the transmitters for each MIMO antenna branch and the receivers        for each MIMO branch, and more importantly for the combination        of MIMO branches, then the problem is diagnosed as external PIM        with very high confidence, also as shown in FIG. 15C, Box 2        (Step 158). The fact that a match was found is stored in the        Events System database (q.v.), and the system 22 again proceeds        as shown in FIG. 15C, Box 4 (Step 160), to schedule a        distance-to-PIM measurement during a maintenance window. See the        section Automatic Tests during the Maintenance Window herein for        more details on this topic. Knowing how far external PIM is from        the RE 16 is helpful to locate the source of that PIM, and        correct it.    -   6. If, however, the match is high for individual branches, but        low for the combination of branches, this is diagnosed as        multiple internal PIM, and the specific branches (if more        than 2) are identified. The system 22 then proceeds as above in        step 5, identify which branch has the PIM problem. Note that        information from the Equipment Monitoring System 38 is used to        identify the physical MIMO branch, as the system 22 only knows        which antenna container (AxC) has the internal PIM problem.    -   7. If, the match is only high for one branch, then this is        diagnosed as internal PIM for that branch. The system 22 then        proceeds as above in step 5, identify which branch has the PIM        problem. Once again, information from the Equipment Monitoring        System 38 is used to identify the physical MIMO branch.

It should be noted that this technique works best when there is nouplink traffic, which can be helped by making an OCNS test during amaintenance window. See the section on Automatic Tests during theMaintenance Window for more details about this. Another advantage ofdoing OCNS testing during a maintenance window is that the transmittersfor each MIMO branch can be turned on independently, further improvingthe match, or lack of match to predicted behavior.

Several example PIM scenarios for two MIMO branches are listed below,and the comparison results for those scenarios are listed in Table 5.These examples are for cross-polarized antennas with 2 MIMO branches.Higher numbers of MIMO branches and spatially-separated antennas willhave somewhat different results, not shown here.

Example PIM scenarios:

-   A) Internal PIM (iPIM) that only affects MIMO branch 1.-   B) Internal PIM on both MIMO branch 1 and branch 2. Good isolation    between branches (e.g. no reflector).-   C) Internal PIM on MIMO branch 1, reflected to MIMO branch 2 via    external reflector.-   D) External PIM (ePIM) that is equal in both MIMO branches.-   E) External PIM that is weak, and only seen in one branch 1.-   F) External PIM reflected to both MIMO branch 1 and branch 2, seen    much higher in branch 1 than branch 2, due to an external object    that polarizes the PIM signal.

In Table 5:

-   -   The top row shows the scenario (A-F) from the above list.    -   The second row is an indication of how common this scenario        occurs in the real world, based on the experience of the present        authors.    -   The third row is a short description of the scenario, matching        the longer descriptions given above.    -   The seven cells labelled “Comparisons” in the first column can        be interpreted as follows. Each comparison (e.g. correlation) is        between a predicted (“P”) PIM waveform based on the process        described above, and an observed (“O”) waveform. The numbers        after the letters P or O are the branches that are either        predicted or observed. Thus, “Corr (P1, O1)” the match (in each        scenario) between intermodulation products coming from the        signals transmitted only through MIMO branch 1 then predicted        with the process described above, and the observed in MIMO        branch 1. “Corr (P(1+2), O2) indicates the match (again for each        scenario) between intermodulation products from the signals        transmitted through both MIMO branch 1 and MIMO branch 2 and        again predicted with the process described above, and observed        in MIMO branch 2.

TABLE 5 Relative Comparisons for Example PIM Scenarios Scenarios A B C DE F How common 1 5 6 2 3 4 Short description iPIM on 1 iPIM on both iPIMon 1, external ePIM, equal on Weak ePIM, favors 1 Polarized ePIM,branches reflector both favors 1 Comparisons Corr (P1, O1) High HighHigh Medium Medium High Corr (P2, O1) Low Low Low Medium Low Low Corr(P(1 + 2), O1) Low Low Low High Medium+ Highest Corr (P1, O2) Low LowMedium Medium Low Medium Corr (P2, O2) Low High Low Medium Low Low Corr(P(1 + 2), O2) Low Low Low High Low Almost Highest Corr (O1, O2) Low LowLow-Medium High Low Medium

CC) Using Vehicle-Mounted Receivers to Enhance Position Estimation

One of the limitations of using multiple REs 16 to estimate the positionof a problem emitter (rogue transmitter, malfunctioning UE or unmanagedBDA) is that the signal level may be too low to detect from other REs 16than the one with the problem. A way to overcome this is to dispatch amobile receiver, such as vehicle, which can be manned or unmanned, andon the surface on in the air (see, for example, FIG. 15D, Box 4 [Step190] or Box 12 [Step 188]). Preferably this vehicle is a drone, alsoknown as an unmanned aerial vehicle. If equipped with hardware like theRANALYZER™ system 22 (preferably hardware like used in the Macro sitecontext due to weight limits of drones), this can provide better signalstrength than the non-problem REs 16 can—once the drone is close enoughto the problem emitter. The system 22 does this in one or more of thefollowing ways:

-   -   a. Preferably, for locating BDAs, the vehicle sends brief,        high-power pulses in the uplink frequency range. The RANALYZER™        system 22 with the problem RE 16 then measures the time between        the transmitted pulse when received at the RE 16, and any        repetition of the pulse as made by the BDA. If the distance        between the vehicle and BDA is too short, the received pulse        from the BDA may start before the transmitted pulse is finished.        In this case, the width of the pulse will appear longer at the        RE 16, so the RANALYZER™ system 22 can compare the received        pulse width to an expected pulse width stored in memories 118        and 124, as well as noting that the vehicle is close to the BDA.        This provides a range of approximate locations for the BDA        around the vehicle location, which is measured with a GPS or        similar receiver and reported to the RANALYZER™ system 22. This        is repeated at several drone locations, and the overlap in        possible positions is determined by the system 22. This overlap        provides a good estimate of the location of the BDA.        -   i. There are several techniques that the system 22 uses to            enhance this capability, including            -   1. During non-maintenance-window times, keeping the                pulse width preferably brief enough that uplink traffic                is not affected much, ideally less than what the LTE                error correction system can compensate for, without                requiring retransmissions.            -   2. Transmission just barely into guard bands between                channels. If the BDA has sufficient gain at these                frequencies, the system 22 can still see a response, but                the effects on the mobile network traffic will be                minimal.            -   3. If the BDA can't be seen during                non-maintenance-window times, scheduling a test during a                maintenance window via the Equipment Monitoring System                38. Since the test signal will not be affecting service                nearly as much at these times, longer pulses can be                used. These have higher energy, and with                pulse-compression modulation (e.g. chirped frequency                modulation, or phase modulation) like RADAR systems, can                still give good distance resolution.    -   b. For any problem emitter, the system 22 records uplink I/Q        samples into memories 118 and 122 for later analysis, triggered        by a known time signal, such as a one pulse-per-second signal        from a GPS receiver. The IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol is        alternative to using a GPS receiver, but at the present time the        performance of IEEE-1588 may be insufficient for this task.        -   It should be noted that while this method can work for BDAs,            it is reliant on a UE transmitting a signal while the            vehicle is in the area. While UEs often transmit brief            messages, the BDA may have to be near a UE that is turned            on, so if a transmitter is available, the previous technique            used by the system 22 is advantageous for the BDA case.            Details of this method performed by the system 22 are:        -   i. Due to limited memory, the capture happens at specific            times, either pre-determined or signaled live from a            RANALYZER™ system 22 to the vehicle.            -   It should be noted that this RANALYZER™ system 22 may be                either the RANALYZER™ system 22 connected to the problem                RE 16, or any other one that has access to the data from                it.            -   Scheduling of the measurements can be also be done by                either of these RANALYZER™ systems 22.        -   ii. Meanwhile, the RANALYZER™ system 22 captures the uplink            and downlink I/Q samples at the same time, again based on a            known time signal such as from GPS or IEEE 1588 Precision            Time Protocol.        -   iii. Either while dispatched, or preferably when the vehicle            returns to base, the I/Q samples are uploaded to a            RANALYZER™ system 22. Again, this RANALYZER™ system 22 can            be the unit connected to the problem RE 16, or a            network-connected unit that has access to the data from it.        -   iv. The I/Q samples from the RANALYZER™ system 22 and the            drone are processed by the system 22 in the same way as for            multiple-receiver analysis. In this case the drone is just            another receiver, but one that can be positioned relatively            close to the BDA.        -   v. If the RANALYZER™ system 22 in the vehicle has sufficient            processing power, it may record signals from the problem            emitter at various locations, process and analyze them and            automatically identify the location of the problem emitter.            The required processing power is quite small for emitters            that are continuously (or at least continually) on, or that            are easily separable from other signals, such as a large CW            signal that is on for significant times.            -   However, for BDAs or problem UEs, the problem signal is                difficult to separate from the normal uplink traffic.                The digital signal processor circuitry 24 in the                RANALYZER™ system 22 is sufficient to do this                separation, so either a RANALYZER™ system 22 could be                deployed in the vehicle, or I/Q samples can be captured                in the vehicle and processed later in a separate                RANALYZER™ system 22.        -   vi. In order to have a signal to measure, the RANALYZER™            system 22 can request from the mobile network 2, via the            Equipment Monitoring System 38, that the network 2            repeatedly commands the UE to make measurements of the            transmission channel, and then transmit this measurement            data. In LTE, UEs can measure various conditions and report            this to the network 2. The RANALYZER™ system 22 exploits            this function to provide a signal to measure, when looking            for BDAs or distorted UEs.    -   c. The time for these measurements would commonly be scheduled        during a maintenance window to cause minimal impact on the        network 2. However, the problem UE and/or BDA must be operating        at this point in time for this technique to be effective. By        monitoring the problem RE 16 over at least one maintenance        window before dispatching a vehicle, the system 22 can determine        times when the problem is happening, allowing the RANALYZER™        system 22 to request an optimum time for the measurements.

The system 22 and method of the present invention, as well as apreferred form of the switching sub-assembly 26, will now be furtherdescribed. In accordance with the present invention, a system 22 forautomatically determining the cause of distortion or corruption ofsignals is connectable to a cellular communications network. Thecellular communications network includes radio equipment 16 and at leastone radio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmissionmedium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting theradio equipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. Preferably, thesystem 22 comprises: a switching sub-assembly 26, the switchingsub-assembly 26 being operatively coupled to the uplink and downlinksignal transmission media and providing as output signals therefrom thetransport digital data signals of selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media, including the I and Q digital data signals, carriedthereby; a digital signal processor 24, the digital signal processor 24being responsive to the output signals of the switching sub-assembly 26and extracting the I and Q digital data signals from the transportdigital data signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media, the digital signal processor 24 processing theextracted I and Q digital data signals and generating therefrom signalspectrum data relating thereto; an analytic computer unit 30 operativelycoupled to the digital signal processor 24, the analytic computer unit30 receiving the signal spectrum data generated by the digital signalprocessor 24, the analytic computer unit 30 generating a control signal,the switching sub-assembly 26 being responsive to the control signal andproviding as the output signals therefrom the transport digital datasignals of selected uplink and downlink transmission media in responsethereto, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzing the signal spectrumdata, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and the analyticcomputer unit 30 including: at least one comparator 508 and at least onememory 506 operatively coupled to the at least one comparator 508, theat least one memory 506 storing therein reference spectra of normalcellular communications signals having no distortion or corruption orabnormal cellular communications signals having known causes of signaldistortion or corruption, the at least one comparator 508 comparing thesignal spectrum data with the reference spectra stored in the at leastone memory 506 to determine if the signal spectrum data has similar ordissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the storedreference signal spectra, and generating a first signal corresponding toone or more possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relatingthereto, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzing the possible causefirst signal from the comparator and determining therefrom a probablecause of signal distortion or corruption, the analytic computer unit 30generating a probable cause signal corresponding to the probable causeof signal distortion or corruption; and a display, the display beingresponsive to the probable cause output signal generated by the analyticcomputer unit 30 and displaying thereon the probable cause of signaldistortion or corruption of the signal corresponding to the probablecause output signal generated by the analytic computer unit 30.

Preferably, the system 22 is connectable to a network wherein the uplinkand downlink signal transmission media includes at least one of fiberoptic transmission lines, coaxial cables and wireless, free space,transmission media or wherein the uplink and downlink signaltransmission media are fiber optic signal transmission lines. In such acase, the transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digitaldata signals, are in optical format, and wherein the system 22 furthercomprises: an optical-to-electrical signal converter 28, theoptical-to-electrical signal converter 28 being operatively coupled tothe uplink and downlink fiber optic transmission lines and convertingthe optical transport digital data signals, including the I and Qdigital data signals, in optical format, into corresponding electricaltransport digital data signals, including electrical I and Q digitaldata signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digitaldata signals, the optical-to-electrical signal converter 28 providingoutput signals corresponding thereto, the switching sub-assembly 26being responsive to the output signals of the optical-to-electricalsignal converter 28.

The system 22 may further comprise an optical-to-electrical signalconverter 28, the optical-to-electrical signal converter 28 beingresponsive to the output signals of the switching sub-assembly 26 andconverting the optical transport digital data signals, including theoptical I and Q digital data signals, of the selected uplink anddownlink fiber optic signal transmission lines into correspondingelectrical transport digital data signals, including electrical I and Qdigital data signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Qdigital data signals, the optical-to-electrical signal converter 28providing output signals corresponding to the electrical transportdigital data signals, the digital signal processor 24 being responsiveto the output signals of the optical-to-electrical signal converter 28.

The cellular communications network may further include an equipmentmonitoring system 22 which generates alarm signals or indicator signalsrepresenting abnormal conditions relating to the radio equipment 16. Insuch a case, the at least one memory 506 stores therein as a look-uptable a set of alarm data or indicator data corresponding to the alarmsignals or indicator signals received from the network equipmentmonitoring system 22, and a list of possible causes of signal distortionor corruption associated with the alarm data or indicator data of thestored set of alarm data or indicator data, the at least one comparator508 receiving the alarm or indicator signals from the network equipmentmonitoring system 22 and comparing the alarm or indicator signals withthe set of alarm data or indicator data stored in the at least onememory 506, and generating a second signal corresponding to possiblecauses of signal distortion or corruption relating to a received alarmsignal or indicator signal, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzing thesecond possible cause signal and the first possible cause signal fromthe comparator and determining therefrom a probable cause of signaldistortion or corruption, the analytic computer unit 30 generating aprobable cause signal corresponding to the probable cause of signaldistortion or corruption.

The display is one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a lightemitting diode (LED) display; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30generates a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace fromthe signal spectrum data, the display being responsive to the spectraloutput signal and displaying thereon the frequency spectrum trace.

The system 22 may further comprise a web server 32, the web server 32being operatively coupled to the analytic computer unit 30 and beingcoupleable to an internet protocol network, the web server 32 providingthe probable cause output signal to the internet protocol network whenthe web server 32 is coupled thereto.

The display may be remotely located from the analytic computer unit 30and is operatively coupled to the web server 32 through the internetprotocol network.

The analytic computer unit 30 may generate a spectral output signal of afrequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, and the displaymay be responsive to the spectral output signal and displaying thereonthe frequency spectrum trace; and wherein the web server 32 provides thespectral output signal to the internet protocol network when the webserver 32 is coupled thereto.

The display may be remotely located from the analytic computer unit 30and is operatively coupled to the web server 32 through the internetprotocol network.

The at least one memory 506 preferably includes a high speed, solidstate memory and a hard disk drive memory operatively coupled to thesolid state memory, at least one of the solid state memory and the harddisk drive memory storing therein at least one of the extractedelectrical I and Q digital data signals of the output signals of thedigital signal processor 24 and the signal spectrum data generated bythe digital signal processor 24.

The at least one memory 506 may include a non-transitory recordingmedium, wherein the non-transitory recording medium is one of a randomaccess memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a digitalstorage disk.

The digital signal processor 24 may include a high speed, static randomaccess memory (SRAM), the SRAM storing therein at least one of theextracted electrical I and Q digital data signals and the signalspectrum data.

In one fouu of the invention, the display is responsive to the firstpossible cause signal generated by the at least one comparator 508 anddisplays in response thereto possible causes of signal distortion orcorruption relating to a received alarm signal or indicator signal. Thedisplay may be responsive to the second possible cause signal generatedby the at least one comparator 508 and displays in response theretopossible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to thesignal spectrum data.

In one form of the invention, the digital signal processor 24 extractsfrom the I and Q digital data signals at least one of Physical CellIdentity (PCI) codes and Cellldentity codes and generates at least oneof a PCI code signal representative of the PCI codes and a CellIdentitycode signal representative of the CellIdentity codes, at least one ofthe PCI code signal and the CellIdentity code signal being provided tothe at least one comparator 508; wherein the at least one memory 506 hasstored therein a list of at least one of PCI codes and CellIdentitycodes, each stored PCI code and CellIdentity code corresponding to aparticular radio equipment 16; wherein the at least one comparator 508compares the at least one of the PCI code signal and the CellIdentitycode signal received from the digital signal processor 24 with the listof the at least one of the PCI codes and the CellIdentity codes storedin the at least one memory 506 and provides an RE identification signalrepresentative of the particular radio equipment 16; and wherein theanalytic computer unit 30 is responsive to the RE identification signalfrom the at least one comparator 508 and generates the control signalprovided to the switching sub-assembly 26 based at least partiallythereon, the switching sub-assembly 26 being responsive to the controlsignal and providing as output signals therefrom the transport digitaldata signals, including I and Q digital data signals, of selected uplinkand downlink transmission media.

In another form of the invention, the display is responsive to at leastone of the first possible cause signal and the second possible causesignal and displays in response respectively thereto at least one of 1)possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to thereceived alarm signal or indicator signal, and 2) possible causes ofsignal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data.The possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to thereceived alarm signal or indicator signal having a first degree ofprobability of accuracy, and the possible causes of signal distortion orcorruption relating to the signal spectrum data having a second degreeof probability of accuracy, the second degree of probability of accuracybeing greater than the first degree of probability of accuracy.

In one form of the system 22 of the present invention, the digitalsignal processor 24 extracts from the I and Q digital data signals ACK(Acknowledgement) codes and NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes, andgenerates an ACK signal and NACK signal respectively representative ofthe ACK codes and NACK codes; wherein the analytic computer unit 30further includes at least one counter, the at least one counter beingresponsive to the ACK signal and the NACK signal and effectivelycounting the number of times the ACK codes and the NACK codes appear inthe I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of timeand providing an ACK count signal and a NACK count signal in responsethereto; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 determines from theACK count signal and the NACK count signal a ratio between the ACK codesand the NACK codes, and causes the at least one memory 506 to storetherein the period of time when the ratio is greater than apredetermined threshold.

In another form of the invention, the digital signal processor 24extracts from the I and Q digital data signals NACK (NotAcknowledgement) codes, and generates a NACK signal representative ofthe NACK codes; wherein the analytic computer unit 30 further includesat least one counter, the at least one counter being responsive to theNACK signal and effectively counting the number of times the NACK codesappear in the I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined periodof time and providing a NACK count signal in response thereto; andwherein the analytic computer unit 30 determines from the NACK countsignal whether the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signalmore than a predetermined number of times during the predeterminedperiod of time.

In yet another form, the digital signal processor 24 extracts from the Iand Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel)codes and generates a PDCCH code signal representative of the PDCCHcodes, the PDCCH code signal being provided to the analytic computerunit 30; wherein the analytic computer unit 30 determines from the PDCCHcode signal times or frequencies when or spectrally where no cellularcommunications signals are transmitted by cellular telephonescommunicating with at least one particular radio equipment 16 of thecellular communications network, and analyzes the signal spectrum dataat said times or frequencies.

The analytic computer unit 30 may include a clock unit, the clock unitmonitoring at least one of the time of the day, the week, the month andthe year, the clock unit generating a clock signal in response thereto;wherein the at least one memory 506 has stored therein knownpredetermined times of the day, the week, the month or the year whencellular communications signals transmitted between the cellularcommunications network and cellular telephones communicating with thecellular communication network are less frequent than at other times ofthe day, the week, the month or the year; and wherein, in response tothe clock signal, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the signalspectrum data of the I and Q digital data signals occurring at a knownpredetermined time of the day, the week, the month or the year whencellular telephone communications with the cellular communicationsnetwork are less frequent.

Preferably, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the signal spectrumdata and determines if communications signal noise, distortion orcorruption is present in the signal spectrum data, the analytic computerunit 30 generating an event occurrence signal in response thereto;wherein the analytic computer unit 30 further includes an eventscounter, the events counter, in response to the event occurrence signal,counting the number of times similar types of signal noise, distortionor corruption are present in the signal spectrum data over apredetermined period of time, the events counter generating a similarevents count signal in response thereto; and wherein the at least onememory 506 stores therein the similar events count signal.

The signal spectrum data has a slope associated therewith over aparticular frequency range. The analytic computer unit 30 quantifies theslope of the signal spectrum data over the particular frequency rangeand provides therefrom a quantified slope signal; and the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the quantified slope of the signal spectrumdata from the quantified slope signal to determine at least partiallytherefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

Preferably, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 determines from the signal spectrum data thepower level of cellular communications signals.

In yet another form of the invention, the digital signal processor 24extracts from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical DownlinkControl Channel) codes and determines therefrom the modulation format ofcellular communications signals received by a radio equipment 16;wherein at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and the analyticcomputer unit 30 determines from the signal spectrum data the powerlevel of the cellular communications signals; wherein the at least onememory 506 has stored therein known modulation formats and power levelsassociated with the known modulation formats which are expected to bereceived by the radio equipment 16; wherein the at least one comparator508 compares the modulation format and the power level determined by theat least one of the analytic computer unit 30 and the digital signalprocessor 24 with the known modulation formats and associated powerlevels stored in the at least one memory 506 and generates a power levelsignal if the power level determined by the at least one of the digitalsignal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30 is different fromthe stored power level associated with a stored known modulation formatthat is the same as or similar to the modulation format of the signalspectrum data; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30, in response tothe power level signal, determines at least partially therefrom theprobable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

In yet another form, the analytic computer unit 30 further includes apattern recognition neural network 500 and a database operativelycoupled to the pattern recognition neural network 500, the databasecontaining a library 514 of different interference scenarios which cancause signal distortion or corruption; wherein the neural network 500analyzes at least the signal spectrum data and, based on the library 514of different interference scenarios contained in the database,characterizes the interference scenario that may effect the signalspectrum data, the neural network 500 generating a pattern recognitionsignal in response thereto; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30,in response to the pattern recognition signal from the neural network500, determines at least partially therefrom the probable cause ofsignal distortion or corruption.

The radio receiver controller of the cellular communications network mayinclude an analog-to-digital converter 28 (ADC), wherein the totalreceived signal power of the radio equipment 16 may exceed a maximumallowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment 16,resulting in the I and Q signal components becoming distorted. Theanalytic computer unit 30 analyzes the signal spectrum data anddetermines therefrom the power level of the combined I and Q signalcomponents (I²+Q²) and generates a combined power level signalrepresentative thereof. The at least one memory 506 has stored therein apredetermined threshold power level. The at least one comparator 508, inresponse to the combined power level signal, compares the power level ofthe combined I and Q signal components with the stored predeterminedthreshold power level and provides an excessive power level signal inresponse thereto indicative of when the power level of the combined Iand Q signal components exceeds the predetermined threshold power level.The analytic computer unit 30, in response to the excessive power levelsignal, determines at least partially therefrom that distortion of the Iand Q signal components is probably caused by the maximum allowablesignal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment 16 being exceeded.

In accordance with the present invention, a method for determining thecause of distortion or corruption of signals in a cellularcommunications network will now be described. The cellularcommunications network includes radio equipment 16 and at least oneradio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmission mediumand a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting the radioequipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. The methodcomprises the steps of operatively coupling to the uplink and downlinksignal transmission media, and providing the transport digital datasignals of selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media,including the I and Q digital data signals, carried thereby; extractingthe I and Q digital data signals from the transport digital data signalscarried by the selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media;processing the extracted I and Q digital data signals, and generatingtherefrom signal spectrum data relating thereto; storing referencespectra of normal cellular communications signals having no distortionor corruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having knowncauses of signal distortion or corruption; comparing the signal spectrumdata with the stored reference spectra to determine if the signalspectrum data has similar or dissimilar characteristics to thecharacteristics of the stored reference signal spectra, and generating afirst signal corresponding to one or more possible causes of signaldistortion or corruption relating thereto; analyzing the possible causefirst signal and determining therefrom a probable cause of signaldistortion or corruption, and generating a probable cause signalcorresponding to the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption;and displaying, in response to the probable cause output signal, theprobable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

The uplink and downlink signal transmission media may be fiber opticsignal transmission lines, and the transport digital data signals,including the I and Q digital data signals, are in optical format. Insuch a case, the method further comprises the steps of: converting theoptical transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digitaldata signals, in optical format, into corresponding electrical transportdigital data signals, including electrical I and Q digital data signalsrespectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals,and providing output signals corresponding thereto. Alternatively, themethod further comprises the steps of: converting the optical transportdigital data signals, including the optical I and Q digital datasignals, of the selected uplink and downlink fiber optic signaltransmission lines into corresponding electrical transport digital datasignals, including electrical I and Q digital data signals respectivelycorresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals, and providingoutput signals corresponding to the electrical transport digital datasignals.

The cellular communications network may further include an equipmentmonitoring system 22 which generates alarm signals or indicator signalsrepresenting abnoiiiial conditions relating to the radio equipment 16.Then, the method further comprises the steps of: storing as a look-uptable a set of alarm data or indicator data corresponding to the alarmsignals or indicator signals received from the network equipmentmonitoring system 22, and a list of possible causes of signal distortionor corruption associated with the alarm data or indicator data of thestored set of alarm data or indicator data; receiving the alaiiii orindicator signals from the network equipment monitoring system 22;comparing the alarm or indicator signals with the stored set of alarmdata or indicator data, and generating a second signal corresponding topossible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to areceived alarm signal or indicator signal; and analyzing the secondpossible cause signal and the first possible cause signal anddetermining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion orcorruption, and generating the probable cause signal corresponding tothe probable cause of signal distortion or corruption. Also, the methodmay further comprise the steps of: generating a spectral output signalof a frequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, anddisplaying on a display the frequency spectrum trace.

The method may include the step of: operatively coupling a web server 32to an internet protocol network, and providing by the web server 32 theprobable cause output signal to the internet protocol network. Also, themethod may include operatively coupling to the web server 32 through theinternet protocol network a remotely located display.

The method, in one form, may further comprise the steps of: generating aspectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace from the signalspectrum data, and displaying on a display the frequency spectrum trace;and providing by the web server 32 the spectral output signal to theinternet protocol network. Also, the method may include the step of:remotely locating the display from the web server 32, and operativelycoupling the display to the web server 32 through the internet protocolnetwork.

In accordance with one form, the method may further comprise the stepof: storing on at least one of a high speed, solid state memory and ahard disk drive memory operatively coupled to the solid state memory atleast one of the extracted I and Q digital data signals and the signalspectrum data. Furthermore, the method may include storing at least oneof the extracted I and Q digital data signals and the signal spectrumdata on a non-transitory recording medium, such as a random accessmemory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a digitalstorage disk. Additionally, the method may include storing the extractedI and Q digital data signals on a high speed, static random accessmemory (SRAM).

In accordance with the present invention, the method may comprise thesteps of: extracting from the I and Q digital data signals at least oneof Physical Cell Identity (PCI) codes and CellIdentity codes, andgenerating at least one of a PCI code signal representative of the PCIcodes and a CellIdentity code signal representative of the CellIdentitycodes; storing a list of at least one of PCI codes and CellIdentitycodes, each stored PCI code and CellIdentity code corresponding to aparticular radio equipment 16; comparing the at least one of the PCIcode signal and the CellIdentity code signal with the stored list of theat least one of the PCI codes and the CellIdentity codes, and providingan RE identification signal representative of the particular radioequipment 16; and providing, in response to the RE identificationsignal, the transport digital data signals, including I and Q digitaldata signals, of selected uplink and downlink transmission media.Furthermore, the method may include displaying at least one of 1)possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to thereceived alarm signal or indicator signal, and 2) possible causes ofsignal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data.The possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to thereceived alarm signal or indicator signal have a first degree ofprobability of accuracy, and the possible causes of signal distortion orcorruption relating to the signal spectrum data have a second degree ofprobability of accuracy, the second degree of probability of accuracybeing greater than the first degree of probability of accuracy.

Additionally, a preferred form of the method comprises the steps of:extracting from the I and Q digital data signals ACK (Acknowledgement)codes and NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes; effectively counting thenumber of times the ACK codes and the NACK codes appear in the I and Qdigital data signal within a predetermined period of time, and providingan ACK count signal and a NACK count signal in response thereto; anddetermining from the ACK count signal and the NACK count signal a ratiobetween the ACK codes and the NACK codes, and storing the period of timewhen the ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold.

In another form, the method further comprises the steps of: extractingfrom the I and Q digital data signals NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes;effectively counting the number of times the NACK codes appear in the Iand Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of time, andproviding a NACK count signal in response thereto; and determining fromthe NACK count signal whether the NACK codes appear in the I and Qdigital data signal more than a predetermined number of times during thepredetermined period of time.

In yet another form, the method further comprises the steps of:extracting from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (PhysicalDownlink Control CHannel) codes, and generating a PDCCH code signalrepresentative of the PDCCH codes; and determining from the PDCCH codesignal times or frequencies when or spectrally where no cellularcommunications signals are transmitted by cellular telephonescommunicating with the cellular communications network, and analyzingthe signal spectrum data at said times or frequencies.

In still another form, the method further comprises the steps of:monitoring at least one of the time of the day, the week, the month andthe year, and generating a clock signal in response thereto; storingknown predetermined times of the day, the week, the month or the yearwhen cellular communications signals transmitted between the cellularcommunications network and cellular telephones communicating with thecellular communication network are less frequent than at other times ofthe day, the week, the month or the year; and analyzing the signalspectrum data of I and Q digital data signals occurring at a knownpredetermined time of the day, the week, the month or the year whencellular telephone communications with the cellular communicationsnetwork are less frequent.

The method may include the steps of: analyzing the signal spectrum dataand determining if communications signal noise, distortion or corruptionis present in the signal spectrum data, and generating an eventoccurrence signal in response thereto; counting, in response to theevent occurrence signal, the number of times similar types of signalnoise, distortion or corruption are present in the signal spectrum dataover a predetermined period of time, and generating a similar eventscount signal in response thereto; and storing the similar events countsignal.

The signal spectrum data has a slope associated therewith over aparticular frequency range. Then, the method further comprises the stepsof: quantifying the slope of the signal spectrum data over theparticular frequency range, and providing therefrom a quantified slopesignal; and analyzing the quantified slope of the signal spectrum datafrom the quantified slope signal, and determining at least partiallytherefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

In yet another form, the method further comprises the steps of:analyzing the signal spectrum data and determining therefrom the powerlevel of cellular communications signals.

The method of the present invention may include the steps of: extractingfrom the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink ControlChannel) codes, and determining therefrom the modulation format ofcellular communications signals received by a radio equipment 16;determining from the signal spectrum data the power level of thecellular communications signals; storing known modulation formats andpower levels associated with the known modulation formats which areexpected to be received by the radio equipment 16; comparing thedetermined modulation format and the power level with the stored knownmodulation formats and associated power levels, and generating a powerlevel signal if the determined power level is different from the storedpower level associated with a stored known modulation format that is thesame as or similar to the modulation format of the signal spectrum data;and determining at least partially therefrom the probable cause ofsignal distortion or corruption.

Also, the method in one form includes the steps of: using a patternrecognition neural network 500 and a database operatively coupled to thepattern recognition neural network 500; storing in the database alibrary 514 of different types of known interference which can causesignal distortion or corruption; analyzing by the neural network 500 atleast the signal spectrum data and, based on the library 514 ofdifferent types of known interference stored in the database,characterizing the type of interference that may effect the signalspectrum data, and generating by the neural network 500 a patternrecognition signal in response thereto; and determining at leastpartially from the pattern recognition signal the probable cause ofsignal distortion or corruption.

The radio receiver controller of the cellular communications networkincludes an analog-to-digital converter 28 (ADC), and wherein the totalreceived signal power of the radio equipment 16 may exceed a maximumallowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment 16,resulting in the I and Q signal components becoming distorted. To detectsuch distortion, the method preferably comprises the steps of: analyzingthe signal spectrum data and determining therefrom the power level ofthe combined I and Q signal components (I²+Q²), and generating acombined power level signal representative thereof; storing apredetermined threshold power level; comparing, in response to thecombined power level signal, the power level of the combined I and Qsignal components with the stored predetermined threshold power level,and providing an excessive power level signal in response theretoindicative of when the power level of the combined I and Q signalcomponents exceeds the predetermined threshold power level; anddetermining, in response to the excessive power level signal, at leastpartially therefrom that distortion of the I and Q signal components isprobably caused by the maximum allowable signal power level of the ADCin the radio equipment 16 being exceeded.

In yet another form of the present invention, a method for determiningthe cause of distortion or corruption of signals is connected to acellular communications network. The cellular communications networkincludes radio equipment 16 and at least one radio equipment controller18, and an uplink signal transmission medium and a downlink signaltransmission medium interconnecting the radio equipment 16 and the radioequipment controller 18, the uplink and downlink signal transmissionmedia carrying transport digital data signals, including I (in phase)and Q (quadrature phase) digital data signals relating to cellularcommunications signals. The cellular communications network furtherincludes an equipment monitoring system 22 which generates alarm signalsor indicator signals representing abnormal conditions relating to theradio equipment 16. The method comprises the steps of: receiving thealarm or indicator signals from the network equipment monitoring system22; determining from the received alarm or indicator signal a particularradio equipment 16 to monitor; operatively coupling to selected uplinkand downlink signal transmission media relating to the particular radioequipment 16, and providing the transport digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, carried thereby; extracting the I and Qdigital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried bythe selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media; processingthe extracted I and Q digital data signals using a Fourier Transformalgorithm, and generating therefrom signal spectrum data relatingthereto; and analyzing the signal spectrum data to detect if a signaldistortion event has occurred or whether the received alarm or indicatorsignal was a false alarm.

Preferably, the step of analyzing the signal spectrum data to detect ifa signal distortion event has occurred includes the sub-step of:comparing the signal spectrum data with stored reference spectra ofnormal cellular communications signals having no distortion orcorruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having knowncauses of signal distortion or corruption to determine if the signalspectrum data has similar or dissimilar characteristics to thecharacteristics of the stored reference signal spectra.

The method may further include the step of: when a signal distortionevent has been detected, determining a time when the particular radioequipment 16 receives no or minimal communications signals from mobilecellular communications devices; and analyzing the extracted I and Qdigital data signals or the signal spectrum data relating thereto of thetransport digital data signals carried by the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media and occurring at the determined timeof no or minimal communications signals.

Also, the method may further comprise the step of: comparing the signalspectrum data which exhibits no or minimal communications signalsrelating to the extracted I and Q digital data signals occurring at thedetermined time with stored reference spectra of normal cellularcommunications signals having no distortion or corruption or abnormalcellular communications signals having known causes of signal distortionor corruption to determine if the signal spectrum data has similar ordissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the storedreference signal spectra, and determining therefrom the probable causeof signal distortion.

Preferably, the step of determining the probable cause of signaldistortion includes at least one of the sub-steps of: determiningwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is passiveinteiiiiodulation distortion; determining whether the probable cause ofsignal distortion is an interfering signal; and determining that nosignal is detected that would be the probable cause of signaldistortion.

The step of determining whether the probable cause of signal distortionis passive intermodulation distortion may include the sub-steps of:calculating the slope of the signal spectrum data at a particularfrequency, and providing therefrom a calculated slope signal; anddetermining whether the slope of the signal spectrum data from thecalculated slope signal is different from a stored predetermined slope,and determining at least partially therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is passive intennodulation distortion.

Furthermore, the step of determining whether the probable cause ofsignal distortion is passive intermodulation distortion may include thesub-steps of: comparing the signal spectrum data with a stored referencespectra of abnormal cellular communications signals having signaldistortion or corruption known to be caused by passive intermodulationdistortion to determine if the signal spectrum data has similarcharacteristics to characteristics of the stored reference signalspectra, and providing a spectrum comparison signal in response thereto;determining, in response to the spectrum comparison signal, at leastpartially therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion ispassive intermodulation distortion.

The step of determining whether the probable cause of signal distortionis passive intermodulation distortion preferably includes the sub-stepof: determining whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintednodulation distortion.

The step of determining whether the probable cause of signal distortionis internal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion may include the sub-steps of: operativelycoupling to selected uplink and downlink signal transmission mediarelating to the particular radio equipment 16 and relating to at leastone other radio equipment 16 located in proximity to the particularequipment, and providing the transport digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, carried thereby; extracting the I and Qdigital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried bythe selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media; processingthe extracted I and Q digital data signals using a Fourier Transfoiiiialgorithm, and generating therefrom signal spectrum data relatingthereto; and analyzing at least one of the signal spectrum data and theextracted I and Q digital data signals to detect if a signal distortionevent caused by passive intermodulation distortion has occurred incellular communications signals for the particular radio equipment 16and in cellular communications signals for the at least one other radioequipment 16, and determining therefrom whether the probable cause ofsignal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

In the network, a particular radio equipment 16 may include a firstantenna and at least a second antenna. In such case, and in accordancewith the method of the present invention, the step of determiningwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion includes the sub-steps of: operatively coupling to selecteduplink and downlink signal transmission media relating to the firstantenna and to the at least second antenna of the particular radioequipment 16, and providing the transport digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, relating to the first antenna and the atleast second antenna, carried thereby; extracting the I and Q digitaldata signals from the transport digital data signals carried by theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media; processing theextracted I and Q digital data signals using a Fourier Transformalgorithm, and generating therefrom signal spectrum data relatingthereto; and analyzing at least one of the signal spectrum data and theextracted I and Q digital data signals to detect if a signal distortionevent caused by passive intermodulation distortion has occurred incellular communications signals received or transmitted by the firstantenna and in cellular communications signals received or transmittedby the at least second antenna, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intemiodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

In one form, the method further comprises the steps of: mixing the I andQ digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna with the same I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna and obtainingtherefrom a first mixed product data signal; filtering the first mixedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first mixed productdata signal residing substantially within a first frequency band ofinterest; mixing the I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna with the same I andQ digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna and obtaining therefrom a second mixedproduct data signal; filtering the second mixed product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered second mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a second frequency band of interest; mixing the Iand Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission mediumfor the first antenna combined with the I and Q digital data signals ofthe downlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antennawith the same combined I and Q digital data signals of the downlinksignal transmission media for the first and the at least second antennasand obtaining therefrom a third mixed product data signal; filtering thethird mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered third mixedproduct data signal residing substantially within a third frequency bandof interest; comparing at least one of the filtered first mixed productdata signal, the filtered second mixed product data signal and thefiltered third mixed product data signal with at least one of the I andQ digital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providingtherefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the at least onecomparison signal, and determining therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion. At least one of the firstfrequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interest andthe third frequency band of interest is different from at least anotherof the at least one of the first frequency band of interest, the secondfrequency band of interest and the third frequency band of interest; or,at least one of the first frequency band of interest, the secondfrequency band of interest and the third frequency band of interest issubstantially the same as at least another of the at least one of thefirst frequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interestand the third frequency band of interest.

Alternatively, the method further comprises the steps of: convolving thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna with the same signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and obtaining therefrom afirst convolved product data signal; filtering the first convolvedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first convolved productdata signal residing substantially within a first frequency band ofinterest; convolving the signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna with the same signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for the secondantenna and obtaining therefrom a second convolved product data signal;filtering the second convolved product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered second convolved product data signal residing substantiallywithin a second frequency band of interest; convolving the signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for the firstantenna combined with the signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the second antenna with the same combined signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission media for the firstand second antennas and obtaining therefrom a third convolved productdata signal; filtering the third convolved product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered third convolved product data signal residingsubstantially within a third frequency band of interest; comparing atleast one of the filtered first convolved product data signal, thefiltered second convolved product data signal and the filtered thirdconvolved product data signal with at least one of the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna andthe signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna, and providing therefrom at least onecomparison signal; and analyzing the at least one comparison signal, anddetermining therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion. Here, at least one of the first frequencyband of interest, the second frequency band of interest and the thirdfrequency band of interest is different from at least another of the atleast one of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequencyband of interest and the third frequency band of interest. Or, at leastone of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequency bandof interest and the third frequency band of interest is substantiallythe same as at least another of the at least one of the first frequencyband of interest, the second frequency band of interest and the thirdfrequency band of interest.

In yet another form, the method further comprises the steps of: mixingthe I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna with the same I and Q digital data signalsof the downlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna andobtaining therefrom a first antenna mixed product data signal; filteringthe first antenna mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filteredfirst antenna mixed product data signal residing substantially within afrequency band of interest; comparing the filtered first antenna mixedproduct data signal with at least one of the I and Q digital datasignals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antennaand the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna, and providing therefrom at leastone comparison signal; and analyzing the at least one comparison signal,and determining therefrom whether the probable cause of signaldistortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion or externalpassive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, the method further comprises the steps of: convolving thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna with the same signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and obtaining therefrom afirst antenna convolved product data signal; filtering the first antennaconvolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first antennaconvolved product data signal residing substantially within a frequencyband of interest; comparing the filtered first antenna convolved productdata signal with at least one of the signal spectrum data of the uplinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna and the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna, and providing therefrom at least one comparison signal; andanalyzing the at least one comparison signal, and determining therefromwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion.

In yet another fonn, the method further comprises the steps of: mixingthe I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna with the same I and Q digitaldata signals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the at leastsecond antenna and obtaining therefrom a second antenna mixed productdata signal; filtering the second antenna mixed product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered second antenna mixed product data signalresiding substantially within a frequency band of interest; comparingthe filtered second antenna mixed product data signal with at least oneof the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna, andproviding therefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the atleast one comparison signal, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, the method includes the steps of: convolving the signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for the atleast second antenna with the same signal spectrum data of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna and obtainingtherefrom a second antenna convolved product data signal; filtering thesecond antenna convolved product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered second antenna convolved product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; comparing thefiltered second antenna convolved product data signal with at least oneof the signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providingtherefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the at least onecomparison signal, and determining therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

The method may include the steps of: mixing the I and Q digital datasignals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the first antennacombined with the I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna with the samecombined I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission media for the first and the at least second antennas andobtaining therefrom a mixed product data signal; filtering the mixedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered mixed product datasignal residing substantially within a frequency band of interest;comparing the filtered mixed product data signal with at least one ofthe I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna, andproviding therefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the atleast one comparison signal, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, the method may include the steps of: convolving thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna combined with the signal spectrum data of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna with the samecombined signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission mediafor the first and the at least second antennas and obtaining therefrom aconvolved product data signal; filtering the convolved product datasignal to thereby obtain a filtered convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a frequency band of interest; comparingthe filtered convolved product data signal with at least one of thesignal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providingtherefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the at least onecomparison signal, and determining therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

In yet another form, the method of the present invention may comprisethe steps of: mixing the I and Q digital data signals of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna with a first mixingsignal and obtaining therefrom a first mixed product data signal;filtering the first mixed product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered first mixed product data signal residing substantially within afirst frequency band of interest; mixing the I and Q digital datasignals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the at leastsecond antenna with a second mixing signal and obtaining therefrom asecond mixed product data signal; filtering the second mixed productdata signal to thereby obtain a filtered second mixed product datasignal residing substantially within a second frequency band ofinterest; mixing the I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna combined with the I and Qdigital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium for theat least second antenna with a third mixing signal and obtainingtherefrom a third mixed product data signal; filtering the third mixedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered third mixed productdata signal residing substantially within a third frequency band ofinterest; comparing at least one of the filtered first mixed productdata signal, the filtered second mixed product data signal and thefiltered third mixed product data signal with at least one of the I andQ digital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the second antenna, and providing therefrom atleast one comparison signal; and analyzing the at least one comparisonsignal, and determining therefrom whether the probable cause of signaldistortion is internal passive inteiiiiodulation distortion or externalpassive intermodulation distortion. At least one of the first frequencyband of interest, the second frequency band of interest and the thirdfrequency band of interest is different from at least another of the atleast one of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequencyband of interest and the third frequency band of interest. Or, at leastone of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequency bandof interest and the third frequency band of interest is substantiallythe same as at least another of the at least one of the first frequencyband of interest, the second frequency band of interest and the thirdfrequency band of interest. Also, at least one of the first mixingsignal, the second mixing signal and the third mixing signal isdifferent from at least another of the at least one of the first mixingsignal, the second mixing signal and the third mixing signal, or atleast one of the first mixing signal, the second mixing signal and thethird mixing signal is substantially the same as at least another of theat least one of the first mixing signal, the second mixing signal andthe third mixing signal.

In yet another form, the method further comprises the steps of:convolving the signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna with a first mixing signal and obtainingtherefrom a first convolved product data signal; filtering the firstconvolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered firstconvolved product data signal residing substantially within a firstfrequency band of interest; convolving the signal spectrum data of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna witha second mixing signal and obtaining therefrom a second convolvedproduct data signal; filtering the second convolved product data signalto thereby obtain a filtered second convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a second frequency band of interest;convolving the signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna combined with the signal spectrum data ofthe downlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antennawith a third mixing signal and obtaining therefrom a third convolvedproduct data signal; filtering the third convolved product data signalto thereby obtain a filtered third convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a third frequency band of interest;comparing at least one of the filtered first convolved product datasignal, the filtered second convolved product data signal and thefiltered third convolved product data signal with at least one of thesignal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providingtherefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the at least onecomparison signal, and determining therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion. At least one of the firstfrequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interest andthe third frequency band of interest is different from at least anotherof the at least one of the first frequency band of interest, the secondfrequency band of interest and the third frequency band of interest; or,at least one of the first frequency band of interest, the secondfrequency band of interest and the third frequency band of interest issubstantially the same as at least another of the at least one of thefirst frequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interestand the third frequency band of interest. Furthermore, at least one ofthe first mixing signal, the second mixing signal and the third mixingsignal is different from at least another of the at least one of thefirst mixing signal, the second mixing signal and the third mixingsignal; or, at least one of the first mixing signal, the second mixingsignal and the third mixing signal is substantially the same as at leastanother of the at least one of the first mixing signal, the secondmixing signal and the third mixing signal.

In still another form of the present invention, the method furthercomprises the steps of: mixing the I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna with a mixingsignal and obtaining therefrom a first antenna mixed product datasignal; filtering the first antenna mixed product data signal to therebyobtain a filtered first antenna mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; comparing thefiltered first antenna mixed product data signal with at least one ofthe I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna, andproviding therefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the atleast one comparison signal, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, the method includes the steps of: convolving the signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for the firstantenna with a mixing signal and obtaining therefrom a first antennaconvolved product data signal; filtering the first antenna convolvedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first antenna convolvedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; comparing the filtered first antenna convolved product datasignal with at least one of the signal spectrum data of the uplinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna and the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna, and providing therefrom at least one comparison signal; andanalyzing the at least one comparison signal, and determining therefromwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion.

In a further form of the present invention, the method further comprisesthe steps of: mixing the I and Q digital data signals of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna with a mixingsignal and obtaining therefrom a second antenna mixed product datasignal; filtering the second antenna mixed product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered second antenna mixed product data signalresiding substantially within a frequency band of interest; comparingthe filtered second antenna mixed product data signal with at least oneof the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna, andproviding therefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the atleast one comparison signal, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Or, alternatively, the method may include the steps of: convolving thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for theat least second antenna with a mixing signal and obtaining therefrom asecond antenna convolved product data signal; filtering the secondantenna convolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filteredsecond antenna convolved product data signal residing substantiallywithin a frequency band of interest; comparing the filtered secondantenna convolved product data signal with at least one of the signalspectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium for the firstantenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna, and providing therefrom at leastone comparison signal; and analyzing the at least one comparison signal,and determining therefrom whether the probable cause of signaldistortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion or externalpassive intermodulation distortion.

In another form, the method further comprises the steps of: mixing the Iand Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission mediumfor the first antenna combined with the I and Q digital data signals ofthe downlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antennawith a mixing signal and obtaining therefrom a mixed product datasignal; filtering the mixed product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered mixed product data signal residing substantially within afrequency band of interest; comparing the filtered mixed product datasignal with at least one of the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna and the I and Qdigital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the atleast second antenna, and providing therefrom at least one comparisonsignal; and analyzing the at least one comparison signal, anddetermining therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, the method comprises the steps of: convolving the signalspectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for the firstantenna combined with the signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna with a mixing signaland obtaining therefrom a convolved product data signal; filtering theconvolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered convolvedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; comparing the filtered convolved product data signal with atleast one of the signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna, andproviding therefrom at least one comparison signal; and analyzing the atleast one comparison signal, and determining therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

A method formed in accordance with the present invention for determiningthe cause of distortion or corruption of signals in a cellularcommunications network is connected to the network. The cellularcommunications network includes radio equipment 16 and at least oneradio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmission mediumand a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting the radioequipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. The methodcomprises the steps of: operatively coupling to the uplink and downlinksignal transmission media, and providing the transport digital datasignals of selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media,including the I and Q digital data signals, carried thereby; extractingthe I and Q digital data signals from the transport digital data signalscarried by the selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media;comparing the extracted I and Q digital data signals with storedreference I and Q digital data of normal cellular communications signalshaving no distortion or corruption or abnormal cellular communicationssignals having known causes of signal distortion or corruption todetermine if the extracted I and Q digital data signals have similar ordissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the storedreference I and Q digital data, and generating a first signalcorresponding to one or more possible causes of signal distortion orcorruption relating thereto; analyzing the possible cause first signaland determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion orcorruption, and generating a probable cause signal corresponding to theprobable cause of signal distortion or corruption; and displaying, inresponse to the probable cause output signal, the probable cause ofsignal distortion or corruption.

The stored reference I and Q digital data includes I and Q digital dataof at least one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals. Preferably, the step of comparing theextracted I and Q digital data signals with stored reference I and Qdigital data includes the sub-step of comparing the extracted I and Qdigital data signals to the stored reference I and Q digital data of atleast one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals.

When the extracted I and Q digital data signals are compared to thestored reference I and Q digital data and determined to be differentfrom the stored reference I and Q digital data, the method includes thestep of storing I and Q digital data representing the extracted I and Qdigital data signals as the reference I and Q digital data.

Also, the method further comprises the steps of: further extracting fromextracted I and Q digital data signals of the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media cyclostationary metric data; andcomparing the extracted cyclostationary metric data with storedreference cyclostationary metric data of I and Q digital data of atleast one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals.

Alternatively, the method includes the steps of: further extracting fromextracted I and Q digital data signals of the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media symbol rate data; and comparing theextracted symbol rate data with stored reference symbol rate data of Iand Q digital data of at least one of known interfering transmittedsignals and unknown interfering transmitted signals.

In yet another form, the method further comprises the steps of: furtherextracting from extracted I and Q digital data signals of the selecteduplink and downlink signal transmission media Distribution Functiondata; and comparing the extracted Distribution Function data with storedreference Distribution Function data of I and Q digital data of at leastone of known interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals.

Alternatively, or in addition to the above, the method further comprisesthe steps of: further extracting from extracted I and Q digital datasignals of the selected uplink and downlink signal transmission mediamodulation format data; and comparing the extracted modulation formatdata with stored reference modulation format data of I and Q digitaldata of at least one of known interfering transmitted signals andunknown interfering transmitted signals.

In still another form, the method further comprises the steps of:determining from the extracted I and Q digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media peak-to-averageratio data; and comparing the determined peak-to-average ratio data withstored reference peak-to-average ratio data of at least one of knowninterfering transmitted signals and unknown interfering transmittedsignals.

The method of the present invention may further include the steps of:generating from the extracted I and Q digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media a threedimensional histogram of communications signals on at least one of thedownlink communications medium and the uplink communications medium; anddisplaying the generated three dimensional histogram.

Alternatively, the method further comprises the steps of: generatingfrom the extracted I and Q digital data signals of the selected uplinkand downlink signal transmission media histogram data of communicationssignals on at least one of the downlink communications medium and theuplink communications medium; and comparing the generated histogram datawith stored reference histogram data of at least one of knowninterfering transmitted signals and unknown interfering transmittedsignals.

In accordance with yet another form of the present invention, a methodfor determining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in acellular communications network is connected to the network. Thecellular communications network includes radio equipment 16 and at leastone radio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmissionmedium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting theradio equipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. The methodcomprises the steps of: operatively coupling to the uplink and downlinksignal transmission media, and providing the transport digital datasignals of the uplink and downlink signal transmission media of at leastone selected radio equipment 16, including the I and Q digital datasignals, carried thereby; extracting the I and Q digital data signalsfrom the transport digital data signals carried by the selected uplinkand downlink signal transmission media; analyzing the extracted I and Qdigital data signals to determine, from the extracted I and Q digitaldata signals, of the at least one selected radio equipment 16 ifcellular communications signals relating to the at least one selectedradio equipment 16 exhibiting signal distortion or corruption, andgenerating a first identifying signal in response thereto; identifying,from the first identifying signal, at least one other radio equipment 16situated in proximity to the at least one selected radio equipment 16;operatively coupling to the uplink and downlink signal transmissionmedia, and providing the transport digital data signals of the uplinkand downlink signal transmission media of the at least one other radioequipment 16, including the I and Q digital data signals, carriedthereby; extracting the I and Q digital data signals from the transportdigital data signals carried by the uplink and downlink signaltransmission media of the at least one other radio equipment 16; andanalyzing the extracted I and Q digital data signals of the at least oneselected radio equipment 16 and the extracted I and Q digital datasignals of the at one other radio equipment 16 to determine therefrom apossible location of an interfering source of signal distortion orcorruption.

Also, the method may include dispatching at least one of an aerialvehicle 510 and a surface vehicle 512 to the possible location of theinterfering source of signal distortion or corruption, the at least oneof the aerial vehicle 510 and the surface vehicle 512 having signalreceiving equipment to receive signals emitted by the interfering sourceof signal distortion or corruption.

In yet another form of the present invention, a system 22 fordetermining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in acellular communications network is connected to the network. Thecellular communications network includes radio equipment 16 and at leastone radio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmissionmedium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting theradio equipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals, the cellularcommunications network further including an equipment monitoring system22 which generates alarm signals or indicator signals representingabnormal conditions relating to the radio equipment 16. The system 22comprises: an analytic computer unit 30, the analytic computer unit 30receiving the alarm or indicator signals from the network equipmentmonitoring system 22 and determining from the received alaitii orindicator signal a particular radio equipment 16 to monitor, theanalytic computer unit 30 providing a control signal in responsethereto; a switching sub-assembly 26, the switching sub-assembly 26being operatively coupled to selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media relating to the particular radio equipment 16, and,in response to the control signal of the analytic computer unit 30,providing as an output signal the transport digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, carried thereby; and a digital signalprocessor 24, the digital signal processor 24 being responsive to theoutput signal of the switching sub-assembly 26 and in response theretoextracts the I and Q digital data signals from the transport digitaldata signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media and processes the extracted I and Q digital datasignals using a Fourier Transform algorithm, and generates therefromsignal spectrum data relating thereto; and wherein the analytic computerunit 30 analyzes the signal spectrum data to detect if a signaldistortion event has occurred or whether the received alarm or indicatorsignal was a false alarm.

Preferably, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes: at least one comparator 508 and atleast one memory 506 operatively coupled to the at least one comparator508, the at least one memory 506 storing therein reference spectra ofnormal cellular communications signals having no distortion orcorruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having knowncauses of signal distortion or corruption, the at least one comparator508 comparing the signal spectrum data with stored reference spectra ofnormal cellular communications signals having no distortion orcorruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having knowncauses of signal distortion or corruption to determine if the signalspectrum data has similar or dissimilar characteristics to thecharacteristics of the stored reference signal spectra.

When a signal distortion event has been detected, the analytic computerunit 30 determines a time when the particular radio equipment 16receives no or minimal communications signals from mobile cellularcommunications devices, and analyzes the extracted I and Q digital datasignals or the signal spectrum data relating thereto of the transportdigital data signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media and occurring at the determined time of no or minimalcommunications signals.

Preferably, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes: at least one comparator 508 and atleast one memory 506 operatively coupled to the at least one comparator508, the at least one memory 506 storing therein reference spectra ofnormal cellular communications signals having no distortion orcorruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having knowncauses of signal distortion or corruption. Also, the at least onecomparator 508 compares the signal spectrum data which exhibits no orminimal communications signals relating to the extracted I and Q digitaldata signals occurring at the determined time with the referencespectra, stored in the at least one memory 506, of normal cellularcommunications signals having no distortion or corruption or abnormalcellular communications signals having known causes of signal distortionor corruption to determine if the signal spectrum data has similar ordissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the storedreference signal spectra, the analytic computer unit 30 determiningtherefrom the probable cause of signal distortion.

The analytic computer unit 30, in determining the probable cause ofsignal distortion, determines at least one of 1) whether the probablecause of signal distortion is passive intermodulation distortion, 2)whether the probable cause of signal distortion is an interferingsignal, and 3) that no signal is detected that would be the probablecause of signal distortion.

Alternatively, the analytic computer unit 30, in determining whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is passive intermodulationdistortion, calculates the slope of the signal spectrum data at aparticular frequency, and provides therefrom a calculated slope signal,determines whether the slope of the signal spectrum data from thecalculated slope signal is different from a stored predetermined slope,and determines at least partially therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, in determining by the system 22 whether the probablecause of signal distortion is passive intermodulation distortion, the atleast one comparator 508 compares the signal spectrum data with areference spectra stored in the at least one memory 506 of abnormalcellular communications signals having signal distortion or corruptionknown to be caused by passive intermodulation distortion to determine ifthe signal spectrum data has similar characteristics to characteristicsof the stored reference signal spectra, and provides a spectrumcomparison signal in response thereto; and the analytic computer unit 30determines, in response to the spectrum comparison signal, at leastpartially therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion ispassive intermodulation distortion.

Furthermore, in determining whether the probable cause of signaldistortion is passive intermodulation distortion, the analytic computerunit 30 determines whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion. More specifically, in determining whetherthe probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion, the switching sub-assembly 26 operatively couples toselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media relating to theparticular radio equipment 16 and relating to at least one other radioequipment 16 located in proximity to the particular equipment, andprovides the transport digital data signals of the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media, including the I and Q digital datasignals, carried thereby to the digital signal processor 24; the digitalsignal processor 24 extracts the I and Q digital data signals from thetransport digital data signals carried by the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media; the digital signal processor 24processes the extracted I and Q digital data signals using a FourierTransform algorithm, and generates therefrom signal spectrum datarelating thereto; and the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes at leastone of the signal spectrum data and the extracted I and Q digital datasignals to detect if a signal distortion event caused by passiveintermodulation distortion has occurred in cellular communicationssignals for the particular radio equipment 16 and in cellularcommunications signals for the at least one other radio equipment 16,and determines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortionis internal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion.

In some cases, a particular radio equipment 16 includes a first antennaand at least a second antenna. In such cases, and in determining whetherthe probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion, the switching sub-assembly 26 operatively couples toselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media relating to thefirst antenna and to the at least second antenna of the particular radioequipment 16, and provides the transport digital data signals of theselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, relating to the first antenna and the atleast second antenna, carried thereby. The digital signal processor 24extracts the I and Q digital data signals from the transport digitaldata signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media. The digital signal processor 24 processes theextracted I and Q digital data signals using a Fourier Transformalgorithm, and generates therefrom signal spectrum data relatingthereto. The analytic computer unit 30 analyzes at least one of thesignal spectrum data and the extracted I and Q digital data signals todetect if a signal distortion event caused by passive intermodulationdistortion has occurred in cellular communications signals received ortransmitted by the first antenna and in cellular communications signalsreceived or transmitted by the at least second antenna, and determinestherefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion is internalpassive intermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion.

At least one of the digital signal processor 24 and the analyticcomputer unit 30 preferably includes at least one mixer 502 and at leastone filter 503. The at least one mixer 502 mixes the I and Q digitaldata signals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the firstantenna with the same I and Q digital data signals of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna and obtains therefrom afirst mixed product data signal. The at least one filter filters thefirst mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first mixedproduct data signal residing substantially within a first frequency bandof interest. The at least one mixer 502 mixes the I and Q digital datasignals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the at leastsecond antenna with the same I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna andobtains therefrom a second mixed product data signal. The at least onefilter filters the second mixed product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered second mixed product data signal residing substantially withina second frequency band of interest. The at least one mixer 502 mixesthe I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna combined with the I and Q digital datasignals of the downlink signal transmission medium for the at leastsecond antenna with the same combined I and Q digital data signals ofthe downlink signal transmission media for the first and the at leastsecond antennas and obtains therefrom a third mixed product data signal.The at least one filter filters the third mixed product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered third mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a third frequency band of interest. The at leastone comparator 508 compares at least one of the filtered first mixedproduct data signal, the filtered second mixed product data signal andthe filtered third mixed product data signal with at least one of the Iand Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplinksignal transmission medium for the second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal. The analytic computer unit 30analyzes the at least one comparison signal, and determines therefromwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion. At least one of the first frequency band of interest, thesecond frequency band of interest and the third frequency band ofinterest is different from at least another of the at least one of thefirst frequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interestand the third frequency band of interest. Or, at least one of the firstfrequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interest andthe third frequency band of interest is substantially the same as atleast another of the at least one of the first frequency band ofinterest, the second frequency band of interest and the third frequencyband of interest.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna with the same signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and obtains therefrom a firstconvolved product data signal; wherein the at least one filter filtersthe first convolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filteredfirst convolved product data signal residing substantially within afirst frequency band of interest; wherein the at least one convolver 504convolves the signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna with the same signal spectrumdata of the downlink signal transmission medium for the second antennaand obtains therefrom a second convolved product data signal; whereinthe at least one filter filters the second convolved product data signalto thereby obtain a filtered second convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a second frequency band of interest;wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves the signal spectrumdata of the downlink signal transmission medium for the first antennacombined with the signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna with the samecombined signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission mediafor the first and the at least second antennas and obtains therefrom athird convolved product data signal; wherein the at least one filterfilters the third convolved product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered third convolved product data signal residing substantiallywithin a third frequency band of interest; wherein the at least onecomparator 508 compares at least one of the filtered first convolvedproduct data signal, the filtered second convolved product data signaland the filtered third convolved product data signal with at least oneof the signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the at least one comparison signal, anddetermines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion. In such a situation, at least one of thefirst frequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interestand the third frequency band of interest is different from at leastanother of the at least one of the first frequency band of interest, thesecond frequency band of interest and the third frequency band ofinterest. Or, at least one of the first frequency band of interest, thesecond frequency band of interest and the third frequency band ofinterest is substantially the same as at least another of the at leastone of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequency bandof interest and the third frequency band of interest.

In yet another form of the system 22 of the present invention, at leastone of the digital signal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30includes at least one mixer 502 and at least one filter, and wherein theat least one mixer 502 mixes the I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna with the sameI and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission mediumfor the first antenna and obtains therefrom a first antenna mixedproduct data signal; wherein the at least one filter filters the firstantenna mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered firstantenna mixed product data signal residing substantially within afrequency band of interest; wherein the at least one comparator 508compares the filtered first antenna mixed product data signal with atleast one of the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital datasignals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna, and provides therefrom at least one comparison signal; andwherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the at least onecomparison signal, and determines therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

In yet another form, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 andthe analytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at leastone convolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolvesthe signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna with the same signal spectrum data of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna and obtains therefrom afirst antenna convolved product data signal; wherein the at least onefilter filters the first antenna convolved product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered first antenna convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein theat least one comparator 508 compares the filtered first antennaconvolved product data signal with at least one of the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna andthe signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna, and provides therefrom at least onecomparison signal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzesthe at least one comparison signal, and determines therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

In still another form, at least one of the digital signal processor 24and the analytic computer unit 30 includes at least one mixer 502 and atleast one filter, and wherein the at least one mixer 502 mixes the I andQ digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna with the same I and Q digital data signalsof the downlink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna and obtains therefrom a second antenna mixed product datasignal; wherein the at least one filter filters the second antenna mixedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered second antenna mixedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; wherein the at least one comparator 508 compares the filteredsecond antenna mixed product data signal with at least one of the I andQ digital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the second antenna, and provides therefrom atleast one comparison signal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30analyzes the at least one comparison signal, and determines therefromwhether the probable cause of signal distortion is internal passiveintermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for theat least second antenna with the same signal spectrum data of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna andobtains therefrom a second antenna convolved product data signal;wherein the at least one filter filters the second antenna convolvedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered second antennaconvolved product data signal residing substantially within a frequencyband of interest; wherein the at least one comparator 508 compares thefiltered second antenna convolved product data signal with at least oneof the signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the correlation signal, and determinestherefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion is internalpassive intermodulation distortion or external passive intermodulationdistortion.

In another form of the present invention, at least one of the digitalsignal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30 includes at leastone mixer 502 and at least one filter, and wherein the at least onemixer 502 mixes the I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna combined with the I and Qdigital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium for theat least second antenna with the same combined I and Q digital datasignals of the downlink signal transmission media for the first and theat least second antennas and obtains therefrom a mixed product datasignal; wherein the at least one filter filters the mixed product datasignal to thereby obtain a filtered mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein the at leastone comparator 508 compares the filtered mixed product data signal withat least one of the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and the I and Q digital datasignals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the second antenna,and provides therefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein theanalytic computer unit 30 analyzes the at least one comparison signal,and determines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortionis internal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna combined with the signal spectrum data of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna with the samecombined signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission mediafor the first and the at least second antennas and obtains therefrom aconvolved product data signal; wherein the at least one filter filtersthe convolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered convolvedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; wherein the at least one comparator 508 compares the filteredconvolved product data signal with at least one of the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna andthe signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna, and provides therefrom at least onecomparison signal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzesthe at least one comparison signal, and determines therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

In still another form, at least one of the digital signal processor 24and the analytic computer unit 30 includes at least one mixer 502 and atleast one filter, and wherein the at least one mixer 502 mixes the I andQ digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe first antenna with a first mixing signal and obtains therefrom afirst mixed product data signal; wherein the at least one filter filtersthe first mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered firstmixed product data signal residing substantially within a firstfrequency band of interest; wherein the at least one mixer 502 mixes theI and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission mediumfor the at least second antenna with at least a second mixing signal andobtains therefrom a second mixed product data signal; wherein the atleast one filter filters the second mixed product data signal to therebyobtain a filtered second mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a second frequency band of interest; wherein the atleast one mixer 502 mixes the I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna combined withthe I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna with a third mixing signal andobtains therefrom a third mixed product data signal; wherein the atleast one filter filters the third mixed product data signal to therebyobtain a filtered third mixed product data signal residing substantiallywithin a third frequency band of interest; wherein the at least onecomparator 508 compares at least one of the filtered first mixed productdata signal, the filtered second mixed product data signal and thefiltered third mixed product data signal with at least one of the I andQ digital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the at least one comparison signal, anddetermines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion. In such a situation, at least one of thefirst frequency band of interest, the second frequency band of interestand the third frequency band of interest is different from at leastanother of the at least one of the first frequency band of interest, thesecond frequency band of interest and the third frequency band ofinterest. Or, at least one of the first frequency band of interest, thesecond frequency band of interest and the third frequency band ofinterest is substantially the same as at least another of the at leastone of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequency bandof interest and the third frequency band of interest. Also, at least oneof the first mixing signal, the at least second mixing signal and thethird mixing signal is different from at least another of the at leastone of the first mixing signal, the at least second predetermined mixingsignal and the third predetermined mixing signal; or at least one of thefirst mixing signal, the at least second predetermined mixing signal andthe third predetermined mixing signal is substantially the same as atleast another of the at least one of the first mixing signal, the atleast second predetermined mixing signal and the third predeterminedmixing signal.

In an alternative form of the system 22, at least one of the digitalsignal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30 includes at leastone filter and at least one convolver 504, and wherein the at least oneconvolver 504 convolves the signal spectrum data of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna with a first mixing signal andobtains therefrom a first convolved product data signal; wherein the atleast one filter filters the first convolved product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered first convolved product data signal residingsubstantially within a first frequency band of interest; wherein the atleast one convolver 504 convolves the signal spectrum data of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antenna withat least a second mixing signal and obtains therefrom a second convolvedproduct data signal; wherein the at least one filter filters the secondconvolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered secondconvolved product data signal residing substantially within a secondfrequency band of interest; wherein the at least one convolver 504convolves the signal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the first antenna combined with the signal spectrum data ofthe downlink signal transmission medium for the at least second antennawith a third mixing signal and obtains therefrom a third convolvedproduct data signal; wherein the at least one filter filters the thirdconvolved product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered thirdconvolved product data signal residing substantially within a thirdfrequency band of interest; wherein the at least one comparator 508compares at least one of the filtered first convolved product datasignal, the filtered second convolved product data signal and thefiltered third convolved product data signal with at least one of thesignal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the at least one comparison signal, anddetermines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion. Again, in such a situation, at least one ofthe first frequency band of interest, the second frequency band ofinterest and the third frequency band of interest is different from atleast another of the at least one of the first frequency band ofinterest, the second frequency band of interest and the third frequencyband of interest. Or, at least one of the first frequency band ofinterest, the second frequency band of interest and the third frequencyband of interest is substantially the same as at least another of the atleast one of the first frequency band of interest, the second frequencyband of interest and the third frequency band of interest. Also, atleast one of the first mixing signal, the at least second mixing signaland the third mixing signal is different from at least another of the atleast one of the first mixing signal, the at least second mixing signaland the third mixing signal; or at least one of the first mixing signal,the at least second mixing signal and the third mixing signal issubstantially the same as at least another of the at least one of thefirst mixing signal, the at least second mixing signal and the thirdmixing signal.

In yet another form of the system 22, at least one of the digital signalprocessor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30 includes at least onemixer 502 and at least one filter, and wherein the at least one mixer502 mixes the I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna with a predetermined mixingsignal and obtaining therefrom a first antenna mixed product datasignal; wherein the at least one filter filters the first antenna mixedproduct data signal to thereby obtain a filtered first antenna mixedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; wherein the at least one comparator 508 compares the filteredfirst antenna mixed product data signal with at least one of the I and Qdigital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna and the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the at least second antenna, and providestherefrom at least one comparison signal; and wherein the analyticcomputer unit 30 analyzes the at least one comparison signal, anddetermines therefrom whether the probable cause of signal distortion isinternal passive intermodulation distortion or external passiveintermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna with a mixing signal and obtains therefrom a first antennaconvolved product data signal; wherein the at least one filter filtersthe first antenna convolved product data signal to thereby obtain afiltered first antenna convolved product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein the at leastone comparator 508 compares the filtered first antenna convolved productdata signal with at least one of the signal spectrum data of the uplinksignal transmission medium for the first antenna and the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna, and provides therefrom at least one comparison signal; andwherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the at least onecomparison signal, and determines therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intermodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

In yet another form, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 andthe analytic computer unit 30 includes at least one mixer 502 and atleast one filter, and wherein the at least one mixer 502 mixes the I andQ digital data signals of the downlink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna with a mixing signal and obtains therefrom asecond antenna mixed product data signal; wherein the at least onefilter filters the second antenna mixed product data signal to therebyobtain a filtered second antenna mixed product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein the at leastone comparator 508 compares the filtered second antenna mixed productdata signal with at least one of the I and Q digital data signals of theuplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna and the I and Qdigital data signals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the atleast second antenna, and provides therefrom at least one comparisonsignal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the at leastone comparison signal, and determines therefrom whether the probablecause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for theat least second antenna with a mixing signal and obtains therefrom asecond antenna convolved product data signal; wherein the at least onefilter filters the second antenna convolved product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered second antenna convolved product data signalresiding substantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein theat least one comparator 508 compares the filtered second antennaconvolved product data signal with at least one of the signal spectrumdata of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antenna andthe signal spectrum data of the uplink signal transmission medium forthe at least second antenna, and provides therefrom at least onecomparison signal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzesthe at least one comparison signal, and determines therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

In yet another form of the system 22 of the present invention, at leastone of the digital signal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30includes at least one mixer 502 and at least one filter, and wherein theat least one mixer 502 mixes the I and Q digital data signals of thedownlink signal transmission medium for the first antenna combined withthe I and Q digital data signals of the downlink signal transmissionmedium for the at least second antenna with a mixing signal and obtainstherefrom a mixed product data signal; wherein the at least one filterfilters the mixed product data signal to thereby obtain a filtered mixedproduct data signal residing substantially within a frequency band ofinterest; wherein the at least one comparator 508 compares the filteredmixed product data signal with at least one of the I and Q digital datasignals of the uplink signal transmission medium for the first antennaand the I and Q digital data signals of the uplink signal transmissionmedium for the second antenna, and provides therefrom at least onecomparison signal; and wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzesthe at least one comparison signal, and determines therefrom whether theprobable cause of signal distortion is internal passive intermodulationdistortion or external passive intermodulation distortion.

Alternatively, at least one of the digital signal processor 24 and theanalytic computer unit 30 includes at least one filter and at least oneconvolver 504, and wherein the at least one convolver 504 convolves thesignal spectrum data of the downlink signal transmission medium for thefirst antenna combined with the signal spectrum data of the downlinksignal transmission medium for the at least second antenna with a mixingsignal and obtains therefrom a convolved product data signal; whereinthe at least one filter filters the convolved product data signal tothereby obtain a filtered convolved product data signal residingsubstantially within a frequency band of interest; wherein the at leastone comparator 508 compares the filtered convolved product data signalwith at least one of the signal spectrum data of the uplink signaltransmission medium for the first antenna and the signal spectrum dataof the uplink signal transmission medium for the at least secondantenna, and provides therefrom at least one comparison signal; andwherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the at least onecomparison signal, and determines therefrom whether the probable causeof signal distortion is internal passive intennodulation distortion orexternal passive intermodulation distortion.

In accordance with the present invention, in yet another form, a system22 for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in acellular communications network is connected to the network. Thecellular communications network includes radio equipment 16 and at leastone radio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmissionmedium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting theradio equipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. The system 22comprises: a switching sub-assembly 26, the switching sub-assembly 26being operatively coupled to selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media relating to the particular radio equipment 16, and,in response to a control signal of the analytic computer unit 30,providing as an output signal the transport digital data signals ofselected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the Iand Q digital data signals, carried thereby; a digital signal processor24, the digital signal processor 24 being responsive to the outputsignals of the switching sub-assembly 26 and extracting the I and Qdigital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried bythe selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, the digitalsignal processor 24 providing extracted I and Q digital data signalsrelating thereto; an analytic computer unit 30 operatively coupled tothe digital signal processor 24, the analytic computer unit 30 receivingthe extracted I and Q digital data signals generated by the digitalsignal processor 24, the analytic computer unit 30 generating thecontrol signal, the switching sub-assembly 26 being responsive to thecontrol signal and providing as the output signals therefrom thetransport digital data signals of the selected uplink and downlinktransmission media in response thereto, the analytic computer unit 30analyzing the extracted I and Q digital data signals, at least one ofthe digital signal processor 24 and the analytic computer unit 30including: at least one comparator 508 and at least one memory 506operatively coupled to the at least one comparator 508, the at least onememory 506 storing therein reference I and Q digital data of normalcellular communications signals having no distortion or corruption orabnormal cellular communications signals having known causes of signaldistortion or corruption, the at least one comparator 508 comparing theextracted I and Q digital data signals with the stored reference I and Qdigital data of normal cellular communications signals having nodistortion or corruption or abnormal cellular communications signalshaving known causes of signal distortion or corruption to determine ifthe extracted I and Q digital data signals have similar or dissimilarcharacteristics to the characteristics of the stored reference I and Qdigital data, and generating a first signal corresponding to one or morepossible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating thereto,wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzes the possible cause firstsignal and determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortionor corruption, and generating a probable cause signal corresponding tothe probable cause of signal distortion or corruption; and a display,the display being responsive to the probable cause output signalgenerated by the analytic computer unit 30 and displaying thereon theprobable cause of signal distortion or corruption of the signalcorresponding to the probable cause output signal generated by theanalytic computer unit 30.

The reference I and Q digital data stored in the at least one memory 506includes I and Q digital data of at least one of known interferingtransmitted signals and unknown interfering transmitted signals. The atleast one comparator 508 compares the extracted I and Q digital datasignals to the stored reference I and Q digital data of at least one ofknown interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals.

When the extracted I and Q digital data signals are compared by the atleast one comparator 508 to the stored reference I and Q digital dataand determined by the at least one comparator 508 to be different fromthe stored reference I and Q digital data, the at least one memory 506in response thereto stores I and Q digital data representing theextracted I and Q digital data signals as the reference I and Q digitaldata.

The digital signal processor 24 further extracts from the extracted Iand Q digital data signals of the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media cyclostationary metric data and provides extractedcyclostationary metric data. The at least one memory 506 has storedtherein reference cyclostationary metric data of I and Q digital data ofat least one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals. The at least one comparator 508compares the extracted cyclostationary metric data with the storedreference cyclostationary metric data of I and Q digital data of atleast one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals.

The digital signal processor 24 further extracts from the extracted Iand Q digital data signals of the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media symbol rate data and provides extracted symbol ratedata. The at least one memory 506 has stored therein reference symbolrate data of I and Q digital data of at least one of known interferingtransmitted signals and unknown interfering transmitted signals. The atleast one comparator 508 compares the extracted symbol rate data withthe stored reference symbol rate data of I and Q digital data of atleast one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals.

The digital signal processor 24 further may extract from the extracted Iand Q digital data signals of the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media Distribution Function data and provides extractedDistribution Function data. The at least one memory 506 has storedtherein reference Distribution Function data of I and Q digital data ofat least one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals. The at least one comparator 508compares the extracted Distribution Function data with the storedreference Distribution Function data of I and Q digital data of at leastone of known interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals.

The digital signal processor 24 further extracts from the extracted Iand Q digital data signals of the selected uplink and downlink signaltransmission media modulation format data and provides extractedmodulation format data. The at least one memory 506 has stored thereinreference modulation format data of I and Q digital data of at least oneof known interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals. The at least one comparator 508 compares theextracted modulation format data with the stored reference modulationformat data of I and Q digital data of at least one of known interferingtransmitted signals and unknown interfering transmitted signals.

The digital signal processor 24 preferably further extracts from theextracted I and Q digital data signals of the selected uplink anddownlink signal transmission media peak-to-average ratio data andprovides extracted peak-to-average ratio data. The at least one memory506 has stored therein reference peak-to-average ratio data of I and Qdigital data of at least one of known interfering transmitted signalsand unknown interfering transmitted signals. The at least one comparator508 compares the extracted peak-to-average ratio data with the storedreference peak-to-average ratio data of I and Q digital data of at leastone of known interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals.

At least one of the digital signal processor 24 and the analyticcomputer unit 30 preferably generates from the extracted I and Q digitaldata signals of the selected uplink and downlink signal transmissionmedia a three dimensional histogram of communications signals on atleast one of the downlink communications medium and the uplinkcommunications medium. The display displays the generated threedimensional histogram.

At least one of the digital signal processor 24 and the analyticcomputer unit 30 generates histogram data of communications signals onat least one of the downlink communications medium and the uplinkcommunications medium. The at least one memory 506 has stored thereinreference histogram data of I and Q digital data of at least one ofknown interfering transmitted signals and unknown interferingtransmitted signals. The at least one comparator 508 compares thegenerated histogram data with the stored reference histogram data of atleast one of known interfering transmitted signals and unknowninterfering transmitted signals.

In accordance with yet another foiiii of the present invention, a system22 for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in acellular communications network is connected to the network. Thecellular communications network includes radio equipment 16 and at leastone radio equipment controller 18, and an uplink signal transmissionmedium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting theradio equipment 16 and the radio equipment controller 18, the uplink anddownlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital datasignals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital datasignals relating to cellular communications signals. The system 22comprises: a switching sub-assembly 26, the switching sub-assembly 26being operatively coupled to the uplink and downlink signal transmissionmedia, and, in response to a control signal of an analytic computer unit30, providing as an output signal the transport digital data signals ofthe uplink and downlink signal transmission media of at least oneselected radio equipment 16, including the I and Q digital data signals,carried thereby; a digital signal processor 24, the digital signalprocessor 24 being operatively coupled to the switching sub-assembly 26and extracting the I and Q digital data signals from the transportdigital data signals carried by the uplink and downlink signaltransmission media of the at least one selected radio equipment 16; andan analytic computer unit 30, the analytic computer unit 30 beingoperatively coupled to the digital signal processor 24 and the switchingsub-assembly 26, the analytic computer unit 30 generating the controlsignal, the switching sub-assembly 26 being responsive to the controlsignal and providing as the output signal therefrom the transportdigital data signals of the uplink and downlink signal transmissionmedia of the at least one selected radio equipment 16 in responsethereto, the analytic computer unit 30 analyzing the extracted I and Qdigital data signals to determine, from the extracted I and Q digitaldata signals, of the at least one selected radio equipment 16 ifcellular communications signals relating to the at least one selectedradio equipment 16 exhibit signal distortion or corruption, andgenerating a first identifying signal in response thereto, the analyticcomputer unit 30 identifying, from the first identifying signal, atleast one other radio equipment 16 situated in proximity to the at leastone selected radio equipment 16, the switching sub-assembly 26operatively coupling to and providing the transport digital data signalsof the uplink and downlink signal transmission media of the at least oneother radio equipment 16, including the I and Q digital data signals,carried thereby, the digital signal processor 24 extracting the I and Qdigital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried bythe uplink and downlink signal transmission media of the at least oneother radio equipment 16; wherein the analytic computer unit 30 analyzesthe extracted I and Q digital data signals of the at least one selectedradio equipment 16 and the extracted I and Q digital data signals of theat one other radio equipment 16 to determine therefrom a possiblelocation of an interfering source of signal distortion or corruption.

The system 22 may further comprise at least one of an aerial vehicle 510and a surface vehicle 512, the at least one of the aerial vehicle 510and the surface vehicle 512 having signal receiving equipment to receivesignals emitted by the interfering source of signal distortion orcorruption. The at least one of an aerial vehicle 510 and a surfacevehicle 512 is dispatched to the possible location of the interferingsource of signal distortion or corruption to receive signals emitted bythe interfering source of signal distortion or corruption.Alternatively, the system 22 dispatches at least one of an aerialvehicle 510 and a surface vehicle 512 not forming part of the system 22to the possible location of the interfering source of signal distortionor corruption, the at least one of the aerial vehicle 510 and thesurface vehicle 512 having signal receiving equipment to receive signalsemitted by the interfering source of signal distortion or corruption.

The method may further comprise the step of selecting at least onehistogram percentile for display. Or, the method may comprise the stepsof: generating a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum tracefrom the histogram data; displaying on a display the at least onehistogram percentile trace; and providing by the web server 32 thespectral output signal to the internet protocol network.

The method may further comprise the step of adjusting the display updaterate of the at least one histogram percentile trace.

The method may further include the steps of operatively coupling a webserver 32 to an internet protocol network, and providing by the webserver 32 the at least one histogram percentile trace.

The method may further include the steps of remotely locating thedisplay from the web server 32, and operatively coupling the display tothe web server 32 through the internet protocol network.

In the system 22 of the present invention, there is preferably also aseparate transmitter with associated antenna that can transmit testsignals.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the testsignals consist of a pulsed signal.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the testsignal consists of a pulsed signal that is modulated.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, themodulation is a chirp (a frequency sweep in either or both directions,of arbitrary shape).

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, themodulation is phase modulation.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the testsignal is phase modulated.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency of transmission is within the reception bandwidth of the radioequipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency is within the reception bandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency is within the reception bandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency is within the reception bandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency is within the reception bandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thetransmitter is located nearby the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thetransmitter is located in a vehicle. The vehicle may be unmanned,including an unmanned aerial vehicle 510 (a drone).

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the testsignal is received by the radio equipment 16; and wherein the testsignal that has been received and re-transmitted by a bi-directionalamplifier is also received.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thereceived signal is used to determine a set of probable positions for thebi-directional amplifier, relative to the vehicle location.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thevehicle moves to multiple locations, and the set of probable positionsfor the bi-directional amplifier is reduced to a smaller set of probablelocations, based on the intersections of the probable positiondetermined for each vehicle position. The vehicle reports its positionto the analytic computer unit 30 via a cellular network connection.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, thefrequency of operation is outside the frequencies used forcommunication.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the timeof day that the transmitter is operating is controlled.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the timeof day that the transmitter is operating is controlled by the analyticcomputer unit 30.

In a preferred form of the system 22 of the present invention, the timeof day that the transmitter is operating is when the communicationstraffic transmitted or received by the radio equipment 16 is low.

Furthermore, in accordance with one form of the method of the presentinvention, there is also a separate transmitter with associated antennathat can transmit test signals.

In a preferred form of the method, the test signals consist of a pulsedsignal.

In a preferred form of the method, the test signal consists of a pulsedsignal that is modulated.

In a preferred form of the method, the modulation is a chirp (afrequency sweep in either or both directions, of arbitrary shape).

In a preferred form of the method, the modulation is phase modulation.

In a preferred form of the method, the test signal is phase modulated.

In a preferred form of the method, the frequency of transmission iswithin the reception bandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the frequency is within the receptionbandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the frequency is within the receptionbandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the frequency is within the receptionbandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the frequency is within the receptionbandwidth of the radio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the received signal from the radioequipment 16 is used to determine a set of probable positions for thebi-directional amplifier, relative to the transmitter location.

In a preferred form, the method is used to determine the set of probablepositions for the bi-directional amplifier relative to the transmitterlocation is the relative timing of the signals received from each.

In a preferred form, the system 22 connects to at least one additionalradio equipment 16.

In a preferred form of the method, the set of probable positions for thebi-directional amplifier is made smaller by the intersection of the setsof probable locations determined with the first radio equipment 16 andthe at least second radio equipment 16. Also, the radio equipment 16 canbe commanded to generate test signals in the downlink; and the testsignals consist of at least three discrete tones.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the equipment monitoring system 22can be requested to command the radio equipment controller 18 togenerate test signals in the downlink; and wherein the test signalsconsist of at least three discrete tones.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the extracted I and Q digital datasignals from the uplink are used to determine the relative phase of theat least three test tones.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the extracted I and Q digital datasignals from the uplink are used to determine the relative phase of theat least three test tones.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the phase of the three test tonesis determined by means of a complex Fourier transform.

In a preferred form of the method, the phase of the three test tones isdetermined by means of a complex Fourier transform.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the phase of the three test tonesis used to determine the distance from the radio equipment 16 to anobject causing intermodulation distortion.

In a preferred form of the system 22, the phase of the three test tonesis used to determine the distance from the radio equipment 16 to anobject causing intermodulation distortion.

A system 22 formed in accordance with another form of the presentinvention is connected to the cable assembly that is connected to anantenna, wherein the system 22 generates at least three discrete testtones. The system 22 has a filter to eliminate the reception of the atleast three test tones. The system 22 has a receiver. The receiver isused to determine the relative phase of the three test tones.

The frequencies of the at least three test tones is preferably set sothat intermodulation products of the at least three test tones produceat least two discrete tones within the bandwidth of the filter.

The relative phase of the two test tones is used to determine thedistance to an object causing intermodulation distortion.

The method used to determine the of signal distortion or corruption isbased on a convolutional neural network 500 implemented partially orwholly in the digital signal processor 24. Preferably, the convolutionalneural network 500 operates on inputs from the extracted I and Q digitaldata signals. The convolutional neural network 500 preferably operateson inputs from Fourier transforms of the extracted I and Q digital datasignals. The convolutional neural network 500 further preferablyoperates on inputs that are time-aligned with LTE symbols that arereceived by the radio equipment 16. Also, the convolutional neuralnetwork 500 may operate on inputs that are a combination of extracted Iand Q digital data signals and Fourier transforms of the I and Q digitaldata signals.

The convolutional neural network 500 may operate on inputs that are acombination of extracted I and Q digital data signals and Fouriertransforms of the I and Q digital data signals that is time-aligned withLTE symbols that are received by the radio equipment 16. Alternatively,the convolutional neural network 500 may operate on inputs that are acombination of Fourier transforms of the extracted I and Q digital datasignals and Fourier transforms of the I and Q digital data signals thatis time-aligned with LTE symbols that are received by the radioequipment 16.

Furthermore, the convolutional neural network 500 may operate on inputsthat are a combination of the I and Q digital data signals, Fouriertransforms of the extracted I and Q digital data signals, and Fouriertransforms of the I and Q digital data signals that is time-aligned withLTE symbols that are received by the radio equipment 16. In addition,the convolutional neural network 500 may operate on inputs that arethree-dimensional histograms derived from Fourier transforms of theextracted I and Q digital data signals.

The convolutional neural network 500 may operate on a combination ofinputs that are the I and Q digital data signals, and three-dimensionalhistograms derived from Fourier transforms of the extracted I and Qdigital data signals. The convolutional neural network 500 may operateon a combination of inputs that are the I and Q digital data signals,and three-dimensional histograms derived from Fourier transforms of theextracted I and Q digital data signals that are time-aligned with LTEsymbols received by the radio equipment 16.

The convolutional neural network 500 may operate on a combination ofinputs that are the I and Q digital data signals, and three-dimensionalhistograms derived from Fourier transforms of the extracted I and Qdigital data signals, and Fourier transforms that are time-aligned withLTE symbols received by the radio equipment 16. The convolutional neuralnetwork 500 may operate on inputs that are the magnitude data derivedfrom Fourier transforms of the extracted I and Q digital data signals.

The convolutional neural network 500 may operate on inputs that are thelogarithm of the magnitude data derived from Fourier transforms of theextracted I and Q digital data signals.

Preferably, the convolutional neural network 500 is flexible, and isconfigured from a library 514 of setup parameters for differentscenarios. The output of the convolutional neural network 500 is asignal indicating the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

The final output of the convolutional neural network 500 is a signalbased on a comparison of the outputs based on inputs from the I and Qdigital data signals, and with outputs based on inputs from Fouriertransforms of the I and Q digital data signals. The final outputpreferably includes signals for multiple likely causes of signaldistortion and corruption, and also preferably includes aconfidence-level signal for each likely cause of signal distortion andcorruption.

Preferably, the final output of the convolutional neural network 500 isa signal based on a comparison of the outputs based on inputs from the Iand Q digital data signals, and with outputs based on inputs fromFourier transforms of the I and Q digital data signals that aretime-aligned with LTE symbols received by the radio equipment 16. Thefinal output preferably includes signals for multiple likely causes ofsignal distortion and corruption, and also preferably includes aconfidence-level signal for each likely cause of signal distortion andcorruption.

In yet another form, the final output of the convolutional neuralnetwork 500 is a signal based on a comparison of the outputs based oninputs from the I and Q digital data signals, outputs based on inputsfrom Fourier transforms of the I and Q digital data signals, and outputsbased on inputs from Fourier transforms of the I and Q digital datasignals that are time-aligned with LTE symbols received by the radioequipment 16. The final output preferably includes signals for multiplelikely causes of signal distortion and corruption, and also includes aconfidence-level signal for each likely cause of signal distortion andcorruption.

In still another form, the final output of the convolutional neuralnetwork 500 is a signal based on a comparison of the outputs based oninputs from the I and Q digital data signals, and with outputs based oninputs from Fourier transforms of the I and Q digital data signals, andoutputs based on inputs from Fourier transforms of the I and Q digitaldata signals that are time-aligned with LTE symbols received by theradio equipment 16. The final output preferably includes signals formultiple likely causes of signal distortion and corruption, and alsoincludes a confidence-level signal for each likely cause of signaldistortion and corruption.

In still another form of the present invention, the final output of theconvolutional neural network 500 is a signal based on a comparison ofthe outputs based on inputs from the I and Q digital data signals, andwith outputs based on three-dimensional histograms based on Fouriertransforms of the I and Q digital data signals. The final outputpreferably includes signals for multiple likely causes of signaldistortion and corruption, and also includes a confidence-level signalfor each likely cause of signal distortion and corruption.

The switching sub-assembly 26 of the system 22 of the present invention,in one form is a robotic operated, mechanical-optical assembly. Theswitching sub-assembly 26 preferably includes: a support panel; aplurality of optical fiber input connectors mounted on the supportpanel, at least some of the optical fiber connectors of the plurality ofoptical fiber connectors having an exterior monitor jack and an interiormonitor jack optically coupled to the exterior monitor jack, theexterior monitor jacks of at least some of the optical fiber connectorsbeing optically coupled to respective uplink and downlink fiber opticsignal transmission lines, each of the interior monitor jacks of theoptical fiber connectors defining a port for at least partiallyreceiving and optically coupling to an optical test connection plug; atleast a pair of test connection plugs, each test connection plug of thepair of test connection plugs being receivable by and opticallycoupleable to a respective interior monitor jack; at least a pair offiber optic test connection cables, each test connection cable of thepair of test connection cables being optically coupled to a respectivetest connection plug of the pair of test connection plugs; at least apair of optical fiber output connectors, each test connection cablebeing optically coupled to a respective output connector of the pair ofoutput connectors; an aiiii and gripper mechanism 74, the arm andgripper mechanism 74 being moveable and coupleable to at least one testconnection plug of the pair of test connection plugs; and a transportmechanism, the arm and gripper mechanism 74 being operatively coupled tothe transport mechanism, the transport mechanism effecting movement ofthe arm and gripper mechanism 74 to position the arm and grippermechanism 74 in alignment with at least one of a respective testconnection plug and a first respective interior monitor jack and so thatthe atm and gripper mechanism 74 is engageable with the respective testconnection plug; wherein, the arm and gripper mechanism 74, when alignedwith the respective test connection plug caused by the transportmechanism, may engage and remove the respective test connection plugfrom being optically coupled with the first respective interior monitorjack; and wherein, the arm and gripper mechanism 74, when aligned withthe first respective interior monitor jack caused by the transportmechanism, may insert the respective test connection plug into a secondrespective interior monitor jack such that the respective testconnection plug is optically coupled to the second respective interiormonitor jack.

Preferably, the switching sub-assembly 26 has many input connectors andmore than one output connector, but fewer output connectors than inputconnectors.

Furthermore, in a preferred foiiii, the robotic operated,fiber-mechanical switching assembly 26 includes a slidable member, and afirst pulley mounted on the slidable member, the at least one testconnection cable being routed at least partially around the firstpulley, the slidable member being biased so as to exert a known andsubstantially constant level of tension on the at least one testconnection cable.

Preferably, each interior monitor jack has a chamfered lead-in area toprovide an acceptable tolerance for insertion of the at least one testconnection plug into a respective interior monitor jack by the arm andgripper mechanism 74.

The transport mechanism preferably effects movement of the arm andgripper mechanism 74 in the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis. Thetransport mechanism preferably includes a first stepper motor and beltdrive system 22 operatively coupled to the first stepper motor to effectmovement of the arm and gripper mechanism 74 in the X-axis. Thetransport mechanism further preferably includes a second stepper motorand a first lead screw operatively coupled to the second stepper motorto effect movement of the arm and gripper mechanism 74 in the Y-axis.The transport mechanism also preferably includes a third stepper motorand a second lead screw operatively coupled to the third stepper motorto effect movement of the aim and gripper mechanism 74 in the Z-axis.

In one form of the switching assembly 26, the arm and gripper mechanism74 includes a cable guide generally in the foiiii of a rounded wedge,the cable guide engaging the at least one test connection cable to aidin X-axis movement of the at least one test connection cable.

The robotic operated, fiber-mechanical switching assembly 26 alsoincludes a housing. The housing defines an interior cavity, at least thetransport mechanism and the arm and gripper mechanism 74 being situatedwithin the interior cavity. There is also electronic circuitry situatedwithin the internal cavity of the housing. The electronic circuitrygenerates control signals provided to the transport mechanism and thearm and gripper mechanism 74 to respectively control movement of the armand gripper mechanism 74 caused by the transport mechanism and theengagement and disengagement by the ann and gripper mechanism 74 of theat least one test connection plug.

Preferably, the ann and gripper mechanism 74 of the robotic operated,fiber-mechanical switching assembly 26 includes a cradle dimensioned tohold a portion of the at least one test connection plug therein. The armand gripper mechanism 74 further preferably includes a resilient clip,the resilient clip selectively exerting pressure on a test connectionplug situated in the cradle to hold the plug therein. The resilient clipfurther selectively exerts pressure on a test connection plug situatedin a respective interior monitor jack to allow removal of the plug fromthe jack.

In a preferred fonn, the arm and gripper mechanism 74 further includes arotatable cam, and a motor, the cam being operatively coupled to anddriven by the motor to rotate, the cam engaging the resilient clip andcausing the clip to move between an open position and a closed position,and to engage the test connection plug to hold the plug in the cradleand to disconnect and remove the plug from a respective interior monitorjack.

The robotic operated, fiber-mechanical switching assembly 26 furthercomprises a spring, the spring being coupled to the slidable member tobias the member in a direction that causes the slidable member to exertthe tension on the at least one connection cable.

Also, in a preferred form, the robotic operated, fiber-mechanicalswitching assembly 26 includes a multi-roller output assembly, themulti-roller output assembly having at least one pair of adjacentrotatable rollers, the at least one test connection cable passingbetween the pair of adjacent rotatable rollers, the rollers engaging thetest connection cable to help guide the test connection cable in adesired direction.

The rotatable cam is operatively coupled to and driven by the motor torotate. The cam engages the resilient clip and causes the clip to movebetween an open position and a closed position, and to engage the testconnection plug to hold the plug in the cradle and to disconnect andremove the plug from a respective interior monitor jack. A respectivecontrol signal generated the electronic circuitry is provided to themotor of the arm and gripper assembly to cause the cam to rotate in afirst direction and in a second direction which is opposite the firstdirection. The rotatable cam engages the resilient clip to cause theclip to 1) exert a force on the at least one test connection plug todisconnect the plug from a respective interior monitor jack, 2) exert aforce on the at least one test connect plug to secure the plug to theatm and gripper mechanism 74, and 3) release the plug from the arm andgripper mechanism 74 in order to allow the plug to remain inserted in arespective interior monitor jack.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein with reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may beeffected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention.

1-258. (canceled)
 259. A method for use with a system including a radioequipment (RE) and a radio equipment controller (REC) being incommunication through a medium having an uplink communication channelsupporting uplink data communications from the RE to the REC, and adownlink communication channel supporting downlink data communicationsfrom the REC to the RE, the method comprising: monitoring a transmittedpower in the downlink communication channel; determining a plurality ofpower levels based on the monitoring of the transmitted power in thedownlink communication channel; recording the plurality of power levelsin a memory; simultaneously with the monitoring of the transmitted powerin the downlink communication channel, obtaining a spectrum of a signalin the uplink communication channel; sorting each piece of the spectrumbeing obtained in the uplink communication channel into one of aplurality of groups, according to a corresponding simultaneous one ofthe plurality of power levels being recorded in the memory; analyzingthe spectrum sorted into the plurality of groups according to theplurality of power levels; and determining, based on the analyzing,whether the signal includes a passive intermodulation distortion (PIM).260. The method of claim 259, wherein when the analyzing indicates thata level of an unused piece of the spectrum in the uplink communicationchannel increases with the transmitted power in the downlinkcommunication channel, the determining determines that the signalincludes the PIM.
 261. The method of claim 259 further comprising:displaying the spectrum in the uplink communication channel as afunction of the transmitted power in the downlink communication channel.262. The method of claim 259 further comprising: simultaneously with themonitoring of the transmitted power in the downlink communicationchannel, extracting I/Q data from the signal in the uplink communicationchannel.
 263. The method of claim 262 further comprising: determining adistance to the PIM using the extracted I/Q data from the signal in theuplink communication channel.
 264. The method of claim 259, wherein theanalyzing includes comparing the spectrum with a reference spectrum.265. The method of claim 259, wherein the analyzing includes obtaining aslope of the spectrum, and the determining includes using the slope ofthe spectrum.
 266. The method of claim 259 further comprising: detectingthe PIM is at a first level on a plurality of antennas of the RE; anddetermining that the PIM is caused by an external source based on thedetecting.
 267. The method of claim 266 further comprising: determininga polarization angle of the external source; and using the polarizationto confirm that the PIM is caused by the external source.
 268. Themethod of claim 259 further comprising: detecting the PIM is at only oneof a plurality of antennas of the RE; and determining that the PIM iscaused by an internal source based on the detecting.
 269. A test devicefor use with a system including a radio equipment (RE) and a radioequipment controller (REC) being in communication through a mediumhaving an uplink communication channel supporting uplink datacommunications from the RE to the REC, and a downlink communicationchannel supporting downlink data communications from the REC to the RE,the test device comprising: a processor configured to: monitor atransmitted power in the downlink communication channel; determine aplurality of power levels based on the monitoring of the transmittedpower in the downlink communication channel; record the plurality ofpower levels in a memory; simultaneously with the monitoring of thetransmitted power in the downlink communication channel, obtain aspectrum of a signal in the uplink communication channel; sort eachpiece of the spectrum being obtained in the uplink communication channelinto one of a plurality of groups, according to a correspondingsimultaneous one of the plurality of power levels being recorded in thememory; analyze the spectrum sorted into the plurality of groupsaccording to the plurality of power levels; and determine, based on theanalyzing, whether the signal includes a passive intermodulationdistortion (PIM).
 270. The test device of claim 269, wherein when theanalyzing indicates that a level of an unused piece of the spectrum inthe uplink communication channel increases with the transmitted power inthe downlink communication channel, the determining determines that thesignal includes the PIM.
 271. The test device of claim 269, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: display the spectrum in the uplinkcommunication channel as a function of the transmitted power in thedownlink communication channel.
 272. The test device of claim 269,wherein the processor is further configured to: simultaneously with themonitoring of the transmitted power in the downlink communicationchannel, extract I/Q data from the signal in the uplink communicationchannel.
 273. The test device of claim 272, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: determine a distance to the PIM using theextracted I/Q data from the signal in the uplink communication channel.274. The test device of claim 269, wherein the analyzing includescomparing the spectrum with a reference spectrum.
 275. The test deviceof claim 269, wherein the analyzing includes obtaining a slope of thespectrum, and the determining includes using the slope of the spectrum.276. The test device of claim 269, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: detect the PIM is at a first level on a plurality ofantennas of the RE; and determine that the PIM is caused by an externalsource based on the detecting.
 277. The test device of claim 276,wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a polarizationangle of the external source; and use the polarization to confirm thatthe PIM is caused by the external source.
 278. The test device of claim269, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect the PIM isat only one of a plurality of antennas of the RE; and determine that thePIM is caused by an internal source based on the detecting.